Team VRSZ: Volume Five
by NewDreamer
Summary: "What are freelancers? We're like bounty hunters, except we have more ethics, but less ethics than a Huntsman." That's what they say when people ask what they do. These are the tales of the freelancer team currently living in the deserts of Vacuo. Taking on missions and whatever life throws their way. The Color VRSZ Colour Chronicles.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: Decided to make a fifth volume for Team VRSZ instead of one shot missions. It will be similar to the original idea of Color VRSZ Colour Chronicles, but as a volume to continue their story.**

 **A week after finishing volume four I've been going back to all my other work and correcting any spelling or grammatical errors. It took me about a month and a half to finish, though they will probably still have some small minor errors because I'm human and just one guy. I'll keep looking back at my work to fix work whenever I have free time.**

 **I didn't realize it, but a whole year has passed since I started posting these stories. Since I missed the publication date for Origins, I thought it would be cool to post this new volume on the publication date of volume one.**

* * *

 **Team VRSZ Volume 5**

 **Chapter 1: Violet Tulipe, The Violent Flower**

 **Setting: Vacuo Desert**

In the vast Vacuo desert, a man was running, and he looked like he was desperately trying to get to wherever he was going. There was fear in his eyes and he was breathing heavily as he seemed to make it to his destination, a large, makeshift building made out of stone and reinforced by scrap metal. Once he made it to what seemed like the entrance, he banged on the door relentlessly until someone opened it. On the other side of the door was another man who looked puzzled why his associate was in this poor state.

"The hell's wrong with you?" he asked his out of breath friend.

"I-I-I- I was at the drop-off point where we were supposed to get the new weapons, b-b- but then she came... a monster in human form! Sh- she came after all of us! None of the new weapons could take her down and our sellers were beaten in an instant. I ran away as fast as I could."

The terrified man felt safe, but his friend grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked till they were face to face.

"You ran away! And you didn't think you were followed?!" he shouted in anger at his friend's buffoonery.

The scared man was silent and his friend cursed, "Dammit! Hey everyone, get armed. We might have to fight a huntsman!"

There were five other guys in the building and they armed themselves with weapons like guns and swords. The man at the door armed himself with his own weapon, a pair of trench knives, one on each hand. All of the men were equipped with their weapons in case their leader predicted an upcoming battle. He ordered the frightened man to go to the top of the building to serve as their lookout and he did just that. He was frightened at first, but he didn't see anyone or anything for miles. All he saw was sand and dust clouds. Actually, one thing did catch his eye, a small sandstorm that was heading straight for their hideout. He couldn't tell if this was dangerous or just the weird work of mother nature, but it was too late to let his comrades know.

Suddenly, a car appeared out of nowhere in front of the sandstorm. The vehicle was a silver sports car that didn't belong in a place like this and on its left side were spray painted letters, 'VRSZ.' Small salvos came out from both sides of the vehicle with small missiles inside them. Before he could warn his friends, the car fired two missiles and they quickly made their way to the base. The first one destroyed the upper corner of the base along with the man's lookout point and he fell to the ground behind the building. The second one hit the base right in the middle and the explosion destroyed what was left of the structure. Scrap metal and debris fell from the sky and the man's associates were blown away as well. Some were hurt very bad and two were unconscious, but the leader was the first one to get up and ordered the others to do the same.

The men were ready to face whatever destroyed their smuggling hideout, but couldn't see anything but the flames of their former base. Something flew by and landed at the feet of two crooks equipped with a sword and the other a gun. At their feet were knives, one exploded and knocked one of the guys off their feet and into the sand. The other knife let out a surge of electricity that shocked the second crook until he was unconscious. Out of nowhere, a feminine figure appeared before the criminal that was knocked back by the explosion. The young woman stomped on his head then kicked him in the face to knock him out. Now that she was in full view, the leader was frightened because he's seen her before. She was the girl with the former 520,000 Lien bounty and he realized he and his men were dead.

"Dammit, that's Violet! T-Take her out!" he shouted, hoping they would get lucky and kill the purple haired girl, but she smiled.

"Make this fun for me," Violet said in amusement after licking her lips and putting the collar of shirt up like a mask.

The only one left with a sword ran at her swinging and she thought it was rather cute. She dodged each sword strike with ease like she was playing a game. The two other smugglers equipped with guns decided to use this moment to open fire when Violet's back was turned. This would've worked if it was anyone besides Violet who quickly squatted to the ground to dodge the bullets that hit and killed their friend. Before they could fire again, Violet took two Chersire's Enigma throwing knives from her waist bag and threw them at the crooks' hands, effectively disarming them. She ran up and punched the first one in the nose with a jab before she struck him in his jaw, causing him to stagger in tremendous pain. The other criminal let his partner be a scapegoat so he could pick up his gun and the leader moved in to attack her with his trench knives.

Violet backed away when the boss tried to hit her with punches in hopes of actually hitting her with the brass knuckles or striking her with the knives of the side, but neither was happening as she remained untouchable through this entire fight. Finally taking the offensive, Violet reached for one of the two Enigma daggers holstered to her legs and drew it. She clashed with the leader and she immediately gained the upper hand as he was forced to change from offense to defense. Regaining his composure, the crook equipped with a gun finally aimed for Violet right when she backhanded the leader to the ground. He fired his gun, but Violet quickly moved out the way and dashed toward him in a serpentine motion to avoid anymore gunfire until she was standing in front of the man while staring down at the barrel of the gun. He was about to fire again, but she ducked while moving to his backside. She got him in a lock and aimed his arm at his friend who recovered from the hit to the jaw. He picked his gun up and aimed it at Violet while she held the other crook in an arm lock and used him like a human shield with his arm and gun pointed back at his friend. Fearing his friend would misfire and hit him by mistake, the crook being held by Violet fired multiple shots and killed his friend. Violet grabbed the man's arm and broke it by bending it the opposite way. He screamed from the tremendous pain and Violet shut him up by knocking him out by using her elbow to deliver a strong uppercut to his chin. The only ones left were the leader of the smugglers and the frightened man who was cowering a good distance away.

The smuggling leader was trembling while Violet was grinning underneath her mask because she knew this fight was already over. She pulled out her other dagger and the two ran to each other until their weapons clashed. The smuggler threw punch after punch, swipe after swipe in order to land a hit on her, only to be matched blow for blow and she was the only one landing significant hits. Violet was blocking his knives with her daggers while used her legs to kick the man around the battlefield. With her fun finally over, Violet lifted both her daggers over her head and her opponent positioned his knives to block them, but she brought them down with so much force that they broke through his knives and cut his body landing two shallow, diagonal cuts down his chest and stomach. It wasn't life endangering, but it was incredibly painful for the man who remained on his feet until Violet ended the fight with a quick and agile corkscrew kick to the smuggler's head. The force of the kick dragged his whole body down and he fell into the sand.

"That was easier than I thought," Violet said to herself. She put her Enigma daggers back into their holsters.

She heard the faintest of breaths and turned around to see the man she followed here trembling in fear. He was afraid that she was going to go after him next and beat him to a bloody pulp, so he closed his eyes to wait for the inevitable. Luckily for him, Violet was here as a freelancer. She was tasked with capturing the ring leader of an arms dealing organization that's been affecting a lot of legal businesses and she got him. She grabbed the bleeding, unconscious man by his leg and dragged him back to her car, completely ignoring the last guy and his defeated cohorts. The man was grateful she left him unscathed, but he didn't know what to do next, not that Violet cared about him now that she got what she came for. Without any concern for her mark, Violet roughly stuffed him into the back of her car's trunk and drove away from the burning remains of the smuggler's base.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Violet walked into her home with a smile on her face and a big wad of Lien in her hand. She was so happy with her pay, she didn't notice her teammates in the living room until one of them spoke up.

"Hey Violet, how was the mission?" Remus asked. He was sitting on the floor playing videos games on the TV against Silver, who appeared to be losing based on his sour expression.

"It went off without a hitch! Easiest job we've ever got, but the drive was long and exhausting. I really feel like laying down right now." And she did just that. Violet walked to their long sofa and sat there to watch her two boys play their game. It lasted for three minutes until the screen said 'Winner.'

"Dammit!" Silver cursed, but he expected no less from the undefeated video game king that was Remus Cobalt. He didn't want it to end here so he told him, "Come on! Best five out of seven!"

Violet was joyfully watching her two boys have fun until she heard the third one walk down from the second floor. Zelts walked into the kitchen to find for something to eat in the fridge and didn't seem to notice Violet was back home. She coughed for no other reason than to get his attention and it worked. He broke away from his quest for food and acknowledged her presence.

"Oh, Violet, sorry I didn't notice you sooner. How'd it go?"

"I'm back in one piece with Lien in my hand, it went great," she said surprisingly cocky for someone like Violet, but the job was so easy and the pay was so big she couldn't help but revel in her success.

"I'm glad, that makes it the seventh completed job as freelancers. We're doing very well and each success means more clients. Just don't get a swelled head Violet, you're better than that," Zelts told her with concern and she adored him for it.

"Thank you for your concern, but none of this is going to my head. Trust me. I'm still the same calm, cool, and collected girl who thinks before she acts," she answered with a straight face this time to prove she was above it all and it convinced him.

"Good, I couldn't follow a leader who was reckless and full of herself."

"Let's hope you never do," Violet said just as Remus beat Silver again.

"Oh come on!" Silver shouted in frustration while Remus remained a humble winner.

"You did very well Silver. You had a higher score than last time," Remus said, hoping it would make his friend feel better, but it was more like rubbing salt into a wound.

"Don't patronize me." Silver was grumbling to himself even though everyone could hear him.

"Don't worry about him Remus. After all, his name is Silver, forever in second." Violet's clever remark earned a laugh from Zelts and an insult from Silver under his breath while Remus remained oblivious to the insult.

"Man, she got you good." Zelts was enjoying this so much that he forgot he originally came down here to eat lunch.

"Shut up..." Silver felt completely off his game today. He could usually come up with something witty to say, but he had nothing.

Violet turned on her scroll to sync with the game they were playing. "I'm joining in," she said with a smile as she squatted onto the floor between the boys.

"You're gonna lose," Silver added as he got his scroll ready.

"I'll at least try to do better than you."

"Oh, you are so on."

Zelts watched as his three teammates and friends played against each other in a video game and he couldn't help but notice how well things have been these past few weeks. His moment was broken by the roaring of his stomach, reminding him that he came down for something to eat. He rummaged through the fridge to find anything to satisfy his appetite. Life for the freelancers known as Team VRSZ was good. Not only were they doing missions in Moneta, but they were doing official work as freelancers to whatever client they deemed worthy and whatever job was worth doing. They were in the high point of their freelancers careers, The Color VRSZ Colour Chronicles.

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 **Volume five _probably_ won't be one big story like the last volumes. Just Team VRSZ doing missions as freelancers, so there won't be a main antagonist, though Grayson will be a recurring enemy/rival and he is kind of a dick.**

 **I changed Violet's theme song from Tommorow Is Mine to Messing With the Best by Miracle of Sound. I felt like this song relates well to Violet's character and the beat is more action-oriented than her previous theme. Her first theme was Sable by Nano because Violet was trying to do her best to assert herself as leader and Alpha of her new team so she had to be strong and unbending. Now that the team is a real team, she doesn't have to be tough all the time and can actually be more laid back. The song helps describes Violet as a strong warrior with a side of mischief that is fun for her friends, but terrible for her enemies.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Remus Cobalt, The Blue Flicker**

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

In front of the freelancers' base were Violet and Remus, training together in hand to hand combat. They placed their weapons to the side along with Violet's brown, leather jacket so she could fight without overheating too quickly in the desert heat. She initiated the battle by reeling her fist back and Remus did the same with his hand.

Her fist met with Remus' open palm and they were staring each other down with amused looks. He used his palm to take hold of Violet's fist as he tried to attack her again with his other hand to palm strike her in the gut. Violet countered by lift her leg to block his strike from its original target, and she quickly followed up by using the same leg to kick Remus in the chest and push him back a little. He remained standing when Violet knocked him back and the look on his face meant he was still having a good time.

Violet moved in to land an attack with a spear hand to his chest, but Remus used his palm to push her arm away from him and repeated this action when she attempted this with her other hand. Not giving him an inch, Violet spun her body around to deliver a knife hand, but he blocked by using his arm. It was his turn to go on the offensive. Remus threw another strike to her left and she moved her arms to block, but it never came and she was suddenly hit by Remus' other palm from her backside then tried to kick her, but she was able to quickly counter his move by grabbing his foot before it made contact. He was able to force his leg out of her grasp and ran around her.

Violet was second to none on her team when it came to hand to hand combat. She didn't match Zelts in physical strength, but she was unrivaled in technique and skill. She preferred to strike joints and vital areas, cause dislocations, and if her foe didn't have a weakness, then she would create one and exploit it. Remus wasn't as skilled as Violet or as strong as Zelts, but he surpassed them all in speed and he used that to his advantage. With his superior speed, Remus made quick side steps and feints to throw her off guard. It worked well against his leader and the unpredictability of his fighting style only put the sparring match more in his favor. However, Violet wasn't the type of person to let a disadvantage like this be her downfall.

If she couldn't move fast enough to catch him or anticipate his moves, then she could get him to stop in his tracks. The rules of their sparring match said they couldn't use weapons, but semblances were never forbidden. Violet activated Invisibility and vanished on the spot, forcing Remus to stop moving to find her. Usually, Remus was the only one who could detect Violet while she's invisible out of necessity for fully utilizing their Cloak and Dagger maneuver, but because she developed her semblance to the point where she is undetectable by person, Grimm, or even machinery like radars, Remus can't locate her. The only downside was Violet couldn't physically touch others at this intensity, only observe. It's almost like she views the world from a different plane of existence. She'd have to downplay Invisibility back to its original state if she wanted to touch someone, though she could be detected or caught at this level.

Standing behind a confused Remus, Violet lowered the intensity of her semblance so she could leg sweep him off his feet. He feel on his back and felt weighed down by some unseen force. Violet deactivated her semblance and slowly came into view, showing she was on top him with her weight pinning him down and a fist reeled back just in case he wanted to continue, but he didn't.

"You win," he said accepting defeat with a smile.

Violet couldn't help but do the same after looking at his infectious expression. Their sparring ended with Remus' surrender, but it also ended abruptly when someone else spoke up.

"Is this a training session or did I come at a bad time?"

The two freelancers looked up to see Blood standing before them. Violet looked back at Remus and realized they were extremely close to one another and quickly jumped off him, though she felt embarrassed about her action. If Blood hadn't made that comment, Violet wouldn't have felt awkward and reacted that way. Remus didn't understand the implication of what Blood meant so he just sat up and said, "Hey Blood. You came to train?"

"No, I'm actually here on business. Lady Clair wanted me to go eliminate a new horde of Grimm that's been running a muck and I'm heading out to deal with them. She said I should ask one of you guys to help. You game?"

"I can't help. Zelts and I are planning something and Silver is out with Bianca and Ghost, but..." She looked to Remus, who nodded, "Remus is free."

"Sure, I like fighting Grimm and we've never been on a mission together Blood. Let's go." Remus was more than happy to help out his friend.

"Alright. I got an airship ready." Blood led Remus to the vehicle and they flew off to the Grimm sighting.

 **Setting: Desert**

Blood landed in a desert area where many rocky formations were located, including a large structure with a hole leading to a cavern. Blood was informed by Clair that a horde of Grimm were using this as a sort of base of operations. Once the sun set, the Grimm would attack villages and people then return to this spot when daybreak came. Blood told Remus this information which is why he chose to ambush them while the sun was out. Remus seemed to be okay with all of this, but he had one question, "What kind of Grimm are we dealing with?"

"Alucards. They're Grimm shaped like bats, but they aren't that much bigger than regular bats. Perhaps twice the size as regular bats, though Alucard Majors are as big as people so watch out for their fangs and claws. They're known for attacking in large groups in order to bite and rip people to shreds, basically flying piranha."

Blood and Remus entered the cave, but saw no sign of the Grimm. Blood listened for them with his heightened sense of hearing. He heard little movement, but believed the Alucards were in there. Remus confirmed this using his bionic eye to look further in and found them resting together deeper down the depth.

"If I let Romulus charge enough, then I could destroy the cave in one shot and get rid of them all," Remus suggested already transforming his double bladed staff into its railgun.

"Go for it."

He let it charge for a good while then fired a powerful bolt of energy deep into the cave and hit the ceiling, causing the entire structure to break apart and collapse in on itself. The Alucards inside went into a frenzy from the surprise attack. The only way for them to survive was to exit the cave, but the falling debris killed many of the Grimm before they could escape. Remus and Blood moved away from the entrance and watch eight dozen survivors fly into the open sky before the cave gave way. Sensing their presence, the Alucards moved to attack the two warriors in a swarm. Remus activated Checkpoint to teleport away while Blood opened his own bat wings and flew up in the sky where Remus teleported to. Remus turned his railgun back into a doubled bladed staff then separated them to dual swords form and dove onto the horde with Blood.

The Alucards flew up toward them to take them out with numbers, but Remus used his blades to cut through any minuscule Grimm that was in his way. The same went for Blood as he used his hands and feet to strike them down. When they made it back onto the sandy terrain, they were engulfed in a fog made entirely of Grimm with no means of escape. Remus was eliminating the tiny menace with ease, though some were getting a few nicks and bites here and there, but he didn't let that stop him. Blood was a little more graceful. He beat down any oncoming threat and every time he moved, he used his large bat wings to swat them away from his blind spots. The number of Grimm was gradually decreasing as their tiny bodies littered the sand before they disintegrated and Remus was having a blast. Being outnumbered only made it more challenging for him, but his fun stopped when something big knocked him away from behind and he was swarmed by a whole bunch of Grimm. With a swing from both swords, he killed the bats that dog piled him and saw what knocked him over, an Alucard Major.

Just like Blood said, it was a bat-shaped Grimm the size of an average human. It was black all over, except for its head, fangs, and feet which were covered in bone plating with red markings. It let out a horrible screech and the smaller Grimm seemed to move in synchronization toward Remus, who teleported a distance away. They were no longer attacking randomly, but listening to the commands of the Alucard Major, who attacked Remus by itself. It lunged for him by flying over his head to swipe him with its clawed feet, but the young warrior blocked each attempt with his swords. With the assault over, Remus took his chance and try to cut the threat in two, but with a quick screech it called for the lesser Grimm to come between and defend it by sacrifices themselves. Remus realized the Major had no problem letting the others die if it could prolong its own life. He looked over and saw Blood was facing the same dilemma, another Alucard Major with its own horde of bat Grimm obeying its every command. Anytime Blood went on the offensive the Major would order the smaller Grimm to swarm him so he couldn't land a punch or kick and forced him to fly a safe distance away. Neither of the two warriors were planning on letting this stop them.

Blood reached for the chakrams attached to his waist and used them to finish this battle. Blood flew straight the Alucard Major and it reacted by wailing to command the lesser Alucards into rushing the bat faunus full force. Blood used the dust in both his rings to envelope his weapons in flames then threw them in opposite directions, but each heading to the horde. When the chakrams went into the swarm they sliced through several Grimm before colliding into one another and the impact caused the fire dust to explode. All the Alucards were burned to nothingness, leaving the Alucard Major all by himself for Blood to destroy with his bare hands. When it tried to bite him, Blood grabbed it by the jaw with both hands then ripped its head off using his superior strength.

The Major fighting Remus called on its horde to surround him and eat him alive. Remus activated the dust in his weapon to let its energy flow through his blades, making them sharper and his strikes stronger. Surrounded on all sides, Remus swung his swords in a flurry. In every direction he sliced through each Grimm in one shot as their numbers dwindled by the second. The orb of darkness the bat-like Grimm created from circling Remus eventually changed to dancing light as every swing he made with his blades left a trail of light from the tips. This made his fights seem more appealing to the eye, but he didn't care about looks in battle. His assault didn't end till all the Alucards were dead, leaving the Alucard Major as the only survivor. After fighting so many Grimm at once, Remus' blood was pumping and he smiled like an mad man.

The giant bat Grimm moved to fly in and attack him and Remus let it, but before it did, he took out a dust crystal and placed it in the middle compartment of his arm bracer. The Grimm tried to bite him and Remus blocked with his arm, though the equipment was only big enough to block one fang and a couple teeth while the rest did a number on his aura, but this was what Remus wanted. Before it could do anything else, Remus activated Checkpoint to get away, but unlike the usual smokescreen that appears after he teleports, a cluster of ice took its place, encasing the Grimm. Teleporting only three feet away, Remus was ready to use his swords to cut the defenseless Grimm down. He sliced and slashed the frozen bat endlessly as trails of light danced around it. The Alucard's body split apart into many uncountable shards before they disintegrated into nothingness. With the threat eliminated, Remus brought his swords together and retracted the entire weapon to its bulky Bo staff form.

"And it's over. Thanks for your help Remus. It would've taken a lot longer without it," Blood said placing his chakrams back to his waist.

"Heheh, I didn't do much." Remus tried to sound humble, but he couldn't stop himself from grinning at Blood's compliment.

Blood pulled out his scroll to inform Clair that he finished the tasked assigned to him and he actually was surprised by the time. It only took them about half an hour to kill a massive horde of Grimm. He was impressed by their efficiency and thought Remus was living up to the Cobalt name.

"Come on, no reason to stay here anymore," Blood said and the two warriors walked back to the airship to return to Fortuna.

 **Setting: Vantablack**

Blood walked with Remus back to his home before heading to Concordia. When the Team VRSZ base was around the corner, he asked Remus to stop for some reason. He took a couple Lien out of his pocket and handed it to his friend.

"Here," he said pushing the money into his hand.

"Why? This wasn't a job. It was a friend helping a friend so you don't have to pay me."

"Technically I did hire a freelancer and you did more than your fair share so here. And, you coming back with a few Lien will give Violet her Cheshire grin. I'm not taking no for an answer so here take it." Blood walked away so Remus couldn't give him back the money. He turned around to see his friend and say, "I'll see you when I see you Remus. Maybe we can fight together again." Blood grinned then took his leave and Remus walked back home.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Remus made it back home to see Violet and Zelts putting some kind of parcel underneath the couch. Seeing as how they didn't realize he was back, Remus spoke up to let his presence be known.

"I'm back." When he spoke he actually surprised Violet as she flinched from his words. She clearly wasn't expecting anyone to come into the base right now. Zelts remained calm, but he too was surprised by Remus' sudden appearance.

"Your back? Already?" Violet asked confused.

"Uh-huh."

"...Wow. Impressive. You been gone for about two hours. I thought it would take longer."

"Blood said the same thing. Speaking of Blood, he gave me some Lien for helping." Remus presented the money, and like Blood said, Violet had a Cheshire grin on her face before taking the Lien.

"Nice! You had a good day didn't you? Way to bring in some extra cash."

"You do realize you sound sort of like a pimp and it doesn't help that your color scheme revolves around purple," Zelts added, but Violet ignored his comment to put the Lien in her wallet then returned her attention to Remus.

"Well your day is not over yet Remus, so help us find a place to hide this where Silver won't find it," Violet said as Zelts was looking for a place besides the couch to place the parcel.

"What's it for?" he asked confused about the situation.

"You don't remember what Violet told you?" Zelts asked and Remus shook his head no.

"So you don't know what tomorrow is? It's the reason Blood and Bianca took Silver on a mission." He asked another question, but got the same head shake for an answer.

Seeing as how he wasn't getting the answer he wanted, Zelts just said it out loud.

"Tomorrow is Silver's birthday."

* * *

 **Despite being a bat faunus, Blood can honestly say bats creep him out a little, but will never admit this to anyone. He considers himself to have the best part of the bat, the wings, and everything else is just unappealing.**

 **Ash Blood's theme song is Lost In The Echo by Linkin Park. The song is very hardcore and the lyrics relate to Blood who is a powerful warrior and one of the strongest in Fortuna. It also relates to his past as he faced adversity and hardship as a faunus before becoming the person he is now.**

 **Alucards are bat Grimm of my own creation.**

 **Remus' weapon can only change to its railgun form when the blades are out, not in Bo staff form. The mechanical parts of the blades help make up the railgun's form so it has to be in doubled bladed staff form first.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Silver Synch, The Silver Tongued Gunslinger**

 **Setting** : **An Air Vent In Some Building**

"Of all the things I thought I'd do on my birthday I never thought crawling through an air vent was going to be one of them," Silver said as he trekked through an uncomfortable air vent in some unknown building.

"Just shut up and keep moving. And it's not your birthday yet so quit your bitching. It's getting old," Ghost complained.

He was right behind Silver as he crawled through the airspace. Silver ignored him as he pressed on while making sure not to bump into the team's leader.

"Will you both be quiet. You'll give away our position," Clair scolded the both of them and stopped when they reached their destination.

Beneath her was a ventilation shaft where she could see some guys armed with weapons walking around. She moved out of the way so Silver and Ghost could get a good layout of the room below. She smiled that everything was going according to her plan. She activated Stardust and her white hair began to produce shimmering particles which moved through the shaft. The eight guards there stopped their patrol to look at the particles dancing around the room in confusion and amazement. With a snap of her fingers from her dust cloaked glove, the with lights turned in specs of ice that engulfed the room and created a miniature blizzard in the room. When the snowstorm ended, the eight heavily armed bodyguards were frozen solid.

"Okay Team BASG go to town."

Silver and Ghost busted through the shaft with Cerberus and Purgatory respectively in their hands. Bianca fell through with Archangels ready to shoot anyone in her way. They exited the room to walk down a hallway with several doors along the sides and one at the end of the hall. Ghost activated Spectre to go through all the doors as Bianca and Silver slowly walked to the one at the end of the hall. Sometimes when Ghost phased through a door Silver and Bianca could hear grunting, gunfire and fighting before seeing their friend appear from the door and repeat the process until they made it to the door which turned out to be an elevator door.

Bianca pressed the button and waited for the door to arrive. While waiting tried to start a conversation with her.

"...Soooo. You have anything planned for my birthday?"

"Nope. I preparing for this mission took most of my time so I didn't really have chance to think about it. Sorry." Silver was crestfallen by her words. He thought Bianca of all people would've done something.

"Oh... Ghost did yo-"

"Nope." Ghost's immediate response.

"Really?" Silver was actually upset they didn't do anything for his soon to be birthday.

"I don't really do touchy feely stuff like that," Ghost said folding his arm.

"That's not what Sapphire said. Apparently you were quite the gentleman on your date," Silver said to get a rise out of his friend and he did. Ghost grunted and Bianca giggled at her brother's reaction.

"How is this thing gonna take to get here?" Ghost complained as the elevator was taking too long.

"I'm glad to hear your relationship is going well."

"We're not dating Bianca. Just hanging out." When Ghost said that the elevator finally arrived.

When the doors opened they saw the elevator was filled with armed bodyguards. The group in the elevator was surprised by the intruders infiltrating their base and even more so when all three of them looked so nonchalant about it. They aimed their guns at the trio who responded with annoyance.

"Who are you?! Why are you here?!"

"Put your hands in the air! The group were ready to apprehend them, but Silver groaned. He felt they were interrupting their conversation.

"Ghost if you would," Bianca said and Ghost moved to remove the problem, though he was a little too enthusiastic.

Ghost activated Spectre and jump over the elevator door so he could phase through the wall and ceiling till he was in the elevator shaft. He used his claw gauntlet to slash the cables holding up the elevator and it fell down with the group's scream echoing. Silver reached his hand out for Ghost to grab hold so he would fall too, but he was actually upset with what he did.

"Why did you do that?!" Silver shouted as he pulled his friend up.

"What? We're only on the third floor. Most of will probably walk away from that." Ghost didn't see what his problem was.

"You destroyed the elevator! How are we supposed to get up there?! There are like twelve floors!"

"Don't blame me! Bianca told me to do something and I did."

"In all honesty, I was hoping you'd used Spectre to make us all intangible until they fired and ran out of bullets, then we could've taken them out," Bianca admitted.

"...Now what?" Ghost said and Silver took note that he did not try to apologize for what he did.

"Let me try something. I've been working on this for a while," Silver said as he walked to the doorway.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and activated Gravity. Silver's clothes were moving like a gust of wind passed by and so did his hair. He opened his eyes to look to his friends and said, "Guys hold on to me," and they did. Suddenly, his feet began to rise and float off the ground. He was starting to levitate with his friends holding on tightly.

Silver's been practicing a lot to learn to levitate on move through the air ever since he saw Remus' brother copy his semblance. As the original wielder of Gravity he should be able to do it as well, but his efforts have been fruitless so far and today was no different. Silver was trying his best, but he fell to the ground with Bianca and Ghost then sat up in frustration. He worked hard to master this technique and he was getting nowhere. This was not his day. He decided to use his semblance the old fashion way by having his friends hold onto to again and he made his friends and himself extremely light. Silver jumped onto the wall and jumped higher and higher as he ascended past several floors in a matter of minutes. Bianca actually stopped them on the eleventh floor.

On the twelfth floor was a hallway that led to an office. Inside the room was a bearded man sitting at the desk with three men; one was armed with a machine gun, the second one had a mace bat, and the third had dual daggers. The room itself had some glass cases with various animal parts inside them. The man at the desk was aware of the break-in thanks to his security cameras and he told his men to be ready to attack whoever comes through the door. He was really hoping to kill them, especially Silver. He waited patiently for his foes to burst through that door, but what happened next was unexpected.

Ghost phased through the ground behind the man with the mace bat and used the lightning dust in Purgatory electrocute him when he pressed the palm on his back. The man fell to the ground and the one equipped with the machine gun fired only for every shot to phase through his body. With all the attention on Ghost, everyone else failed to recognize Silver and Bianca bust through the door with guns in their hands. Bianca fired a couple rounds at the man with the daggers, but he deflected with his blades as he made his way to the girl. He tried to cut open her throat, was countered by the bayonet knives at the end of her guns. They were in a stalemate until Bianca was able to point the barrels of her guns at his shoulders and fired. She damaged his aura and made him stagger backwards. She used this moment to uppercut him with a kick to the jaw. Silver fought the one with the mace by shooting at him with Cerberus, but the massive weapon blocked his regular bullets, so he quickly changed to his dust rounds and fired several ice bullets at him, freezing his weapon and hands. The man didn't seem upset as he raised his arms and slammed them to the ground, shattering the ice.

The man was ready to smash Silver into a fine powder until he was hit in the back by the bodyguard with the machine gun. He was about to ask why his ally fired on him, but didn't have the chance. Silver changed Cerberus to escrima mode then used both objects to hit the guy in the crotch, earning a loud yell from the bodyguard. Next, Silver slammed down on the man's hand with his escrima sticks, disarming the man of his mace and took the weapon for his own. He used Gravity to lighten the large weapon and lift over his head before making it extremely heavy and smash the man with tremendous force, reducing his aura to zero and rendering him unconscious. Silver thanked the man with the machine gun, who nodded before moving to help Bianca. The man with the dual daggers was having a hard time fighting Bianca and it didn't help that his ally turned traitor. When he saw an opening, he broke away from his current fight to threw his dual daggers at his former friend, who blocked the knives with his gun, but the dust inside the weapons caused them to explode on impact. The force of the explosion knocked the man into the wall and he was unconscious. Bianca retaliated by mercilessly beating the now unarmed bodyguard with a series of kicks and some slashes from her bayonets until he was down.

"Okay you can come out of there," Silver said to the unconscious man.

An intangible Ghost rose from the man's unconscious body with a nonchalant expression and said, "Yeah, not like I get hurt when they take a hit."

The only one left was the bearded man sitting at his desk with a disgruntled look on his face and eyes of hatred directed at Silver whom took a good look at the man and realization came to him. "Terra Cotta!" he shouted genuinely surprised.

"...You..." The man's only response.

"You know him?" Bianca asked and Ghost answered.

"Yeah, a couple years ago he was a crime boss in Fortuna until VRSZ took him down. He was hauled off to prison so I guess he escaped."

"And now he's collecting rare faunus parts and selling them on the black market. You've become one sick puppy," Silver said amused he's meeting the person his team defeated first. Terra Cotta didn't feel as nostalgic as Silver. He rose from his seat and grabbed a spear that looked very different from World Splitter, his original weapon now in Loden's possession. Silver still looked amused and he told his team something that confused them.

"You guys go ahead and leave. I got this."

"Are... you sure? It took your whole team to take him down," Ghost said sounding concerned.

"Yeah, this guy was just fodder in Clair's game. Once fodder, always fodder. I can beat him easy so let me do this. Think of it as a birthday gift to me since you guys FORGOT!" He was clearly still upset they forgot and used it as an excuse to fight the angry man alone, and it worked. Bianca walked away from the battle.

"Okay, but don't complain if you lose," she said with a smirk.

"I won't... Lose, I mean I won't lose."

"Heheh, too late. You messed up. Ghost if you would."

Ghost wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulder and activated Spectre to phase through the floor. As the only two occupants in the room, Silver had Cerberus in escrima mode while Terra Cotta got in a fighting stance. The spearman jumped over his desk and tried to strike first by swinging his lance to land on Silver's head. Silver easily dodged the attack by taking a big step back. He grabbed the discarded mace bat and jumped toward Terra swinging the weapon against the polearm pushing the man back. They clashed again, but the spearhead connected with the mace and the dust in it caused and explosion that knocked the unexpected gunman off his feet. He landed on his near the doorway with an astonished look.

 _"Alright didn't see that coming,"_ Silver thought.

He saw that the mace was destroyed because of that explosion so fighting from a distance was the best option. Silver jumped away when Terra Cotta advanced forward to his position. If their bout told him anything, it's that the spearhead seemed to be the only explosive part of the lance so he could fight up close. He fired several rounds of ice dust at Terra Cotta's feet to immobilize him and it worked, but it didn't last long. Terra stabbed his weapon into the ice to destroy it, though the explosion did a number on his aura. His attempt at freedom made Silver snicker.

"I'm sure you could've found a better way to get out if you thought hard enough. But hey, fodder can't really do much on their own." Silver made fun of Terra whom seemed to be irritated by his words. He flung his polearm around hoping to hit Silver, but the only thing he hit was air as Silver nimbly maneuvered away from each attack and used Gravity to jump onto the ceiling where he continued to taunt the man.

"I mean after we kick your ass, you pretend like it never happened by being some kind of crime boss, but you're still a loser. You got played by a girl posing as Royal and got smacked around by an upstart team that had no rhythm or flow. Do you how bad that looks?" Terra Cotta was reaching his boiling point.

"And we only gotten better while you rotted in prison. Fodder to the end."

"ENOUGH!"

Terra swung his lance in blind anger and Silver ducked to avoid the attach then moved in close with guns changing to escrima sticks. He started his symphony by beating Terra on his shoulders, chest and legs until the man fell to one knee, but Terra pressed his spearhead on the ground and an explosion consumed them both. Silver flew backwards till he slammed against the wall and Terra did the same as he crashed into his now destroyed desk, showing that move was unintentional. Silver got up first, noticing his hands were empty. He looked around only to see his Cerberus on the floor before Terra Cotta picked them up and switched them to dual pistol.

 _"Maybe it was better if I didn't egg him on,"_ Silver thought to himself with regret.

Terra aimed the guns at Silver and fired. Silver ran out of the line of fire by hiding behind one of the glass cases filled with faunus parts. The bullets broke through the glass and Silver was left pinned down until a faunus skull with a single horn fell besides him. A plan formulated in his head. Terra waited for Silver to make a move so he could shoot him the moment he showed himself. Something jumped from behind the case and Terra shoot at it instantly. When his angry onslaught was over, Terra noticed that what he shot at was actually something from of his faunus collection. While he was distracted, Silver ran in the opposite direction and grabbed a weapon of his own, Terra Cotta's explosive lance. With Gravity, Silver jumped high in the air as he lunged for his foe with the spearhead aimed at him. Too frazzled by the distraction to aim and shoot, Terra Cotta did the only thing he could think of, block the spearhead with both guns.

 _"NOOOOOOO!"_ he shouted in his mind. Silver couldn't stop his attack as he slowly watched what happened next. When he saw the spear touch his weapon he knew it was over. An explosion engulfed Terra Cotta and reduced his Cerberus to burning, broken pieces of metal. "Oh come on!"

He looked over to see Terra Cotta unconscious, and laying on top of his now broken desk. Silver looked the defeated man with disdain. It was his fault that his weapon was destroyed and the fact that is was on the day before his birthday was putting salt in the wound. Taking hold of the lance for the last time, Silver pierced the wall with the spear and it exploded, making a hole. He grabbed Terra Cotta, and with his semblance, made him light enough to carry over his shoulder. Using Gravity one last time, Silver jumped from the twelve story with his mark in his hand with a disconcerted look on his face. Before he made it to the ground, he altered his gravity and mass to land safely on the ground where Bianca and Ghost waited for him.

"I expected you to be done before we got to the first floor. What happened?" Bianca asked and Silver let out an exasperated breath.

"The prick destroyed my guns, so I'm not having the best of days." Silver couldn't help but sounded defeated when he said that. His friends picked up on that and decided to cheer him up.

"I think I know what'll make you feel better. Bianca, if you would? And Silver, take a look at the building," Ghost said and Silver did just that.

He didn't notice at first when he jumped from the twelfth floor, but there were Stardust particles surrounding the building that served as Terra Cotta's base of operations. He looked to Bianca, wondering when she did all this, but he saw her hand ready to snap at anytime.

"As a birthday gift, you get to choose Silver. What will it be; fire, ice or lightning?" She asked ready to please her friend and it seemed to bring a grin to his face.

"Make it fire, I want it to out with a bang," Silver said as he walked away with their prize in his hand.

When they walked away, Bianca snapped the dust gloved fingers and the Stardust particles glowed red. Instead of being set ablaze, Bianca made sure it was spontaneous combustion. The whole building exploded with a massive bang that could be heard for miles. Silver and the others were walking away, so they didn't watchthe explosion, but the soon to be birthday boy flashed a satisfying grin.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

After a day's worth travel to Vacuo, where they delivered Terra Cotta to prison, Silver, Bianca, and Ghost made their way back home. It took them rest of the day to drive back to Fortuna. The first thing they did was drive back to Silver's home and they walked into the base where they saw Violet, Remus, and Zelts in the kitchen. Zelts looked to them and walked over.

"Hey guys, how'd the mission go?" he asked and Silver just walked to the couch and slouched so Bianca answered for him.

"It was a success, though Silver's upset that his weapons were destroyed in the process."

"Oh really? You lost Cerberus?" Zelts did not expect that from the gunman. "You alright?"

"...No I'm-" Someone knocked on their door and Ghost opened it. To his surprise, it was Team CLSH on the other side including Sapphire. She smiled at him and he froze in place for a moment before letting the girls in while Sapphire stayed by his side.

"Cerise? What are you guys doing here?" Silver asked.

"Violet invited us over. We needed to do something together," Cerise said as she walked to Violet while Loden and Hazel lounged around the house.

"Like I said this is not my best day and the fact that-" Another knock at the door interrupted him again and he sped to the door to open it.

On the other side was Clair and, surprisingly her cousin Copper Periwinkle Vantablack, who preferred to be called C.P. and no really like him, at all, like he's very disliked by everyone in the room and he's unaware of it. He moved passed his cousin and walked up to Violet to hit on her as he usually does, and as usual, she responded by inflicting bodily harm and he got right back up.

"Hello Silver, it's good to see you," Clair said with a smile.

"Hello Lady Clair, it's nice to see you too." Silver's irritation died down a little when he saw her, but it was still there. He went back to the couch where he continued to talk to a smirking Zelts.

"Where was I? Oh right, and the fact that everyone forgot my-" There was a third knock on the door and Silver had it.

"Godammit!" He jumped from the couch and yanked the door open to see both Onyx and Sterling Vantablack. He didn't even ask why they were here. Silver just walked to the middle of the room to vent to everyone.

"And it only made it worse because NO ONE REMEMBERED MY FREAKING BIRTHDAY!"

"Silver," Violet said to get his attention. "Look around."

Silver looked to see only a house full of people he knew and they were all staring at him with smiles. He didn't really understand why they were here in the first place. Right now they were crowding his home. It wasn't until Violet walked in with a large cake on a dish. The cogs in his brain finally started turning and he had the look of realization. Before he could say anything, everyone in the base shouted, "HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY SILVER!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh my god, guys you really remembered!"

Silver couldn't hide the happiness he felt. His bad day turned into one of his best as he spent the rest of the day with his close friends. Eating cake, playing video games, and talking really made his birthday great, but there was one thing Team VRSZ thought would put it over the top.

"Silver, I'm sorry you lost Cerberus," Remus said like he was the one that broke the guns.

"...Ah don't worry about it. I just need to buy some new ones," Silver said actually fine with the loss of his weapons.

"You don't have to. Violet, Zelts and I got you a gift."

When he said that, Violet entered the room with a wrapped present and handed it to him saying, "Happy birthday, this is the only present you get from us. Hope you like it."

Silver opened the box and he screamed, "Holy shit! New guns! These are so bad ass!"

Everyone around him watched the gunman dance around the base in glee of his new weapons. They were black and silver, futuristic, semiautomatic dual pistols that looked much bigger and stronger than Cerberus. They looked like they could rival Bianca's Archangels.

"We asked Onyx to make them special for you. Not another kind like those," Violet said proud that their gift was a hit. Onyx walked up to take them from Silver.

"And that's not all. These are actually more special than you think, watch this." Onyx put the barrel of one gun on the rear sight of the other and the two weapons combined and transformed into something that made Silver squeal.

"YOU MADE ME A SNIPER RIFLE?!" Silver said with a high pitch.

"Not a typical one. It was difficult to make one that could separate into two guns, but I did my best." Onyx was feeling pretty good about his invention as he watched Silver play with it.

In fact, Silver was putting bullets in his new guns and he ran outside shouting, "Come on Remus! Your bionic eye against my new scope, let's see which is better!"

"You're on!"

Remus complied by taking Romulus and transforming it into its railgun mode before teleporting out of the house. Everyone left were a little baffled the nineteen year old birthday boy left the party to play with his new toy. Instead of going after them, everyone just stayed in the base and enjoyed each others' company. Bianca, on the hand, left to follow the two boys.

 **Setting: Desert**

Silver and Remus were perched on a large boulder. They were looking for Grimm to kill with their weapons. Silver already killed four while Remus had two. Remus' railgun had some amazing firepower, but Silver's weapon had the greater distance thanks to its sight and his marksman prowess, making his sniper the best for extreme long distance attacking.

"This is the best gift ever," Silver said to Remus, but more to himself.

"I'm glad you like it," Bianca said from behind the boys' backs.

"Hey Bianca, want to watch?"Remus asked as he turned back to find some Grimm.

"Sure."

She sat down between them and saw Remus fire a powerful energy bolt at an unsuspecting Deathstalker that was destroyed upon impact. She smiled at the fun they were having and looked to Silver. She leaned closer to the birthday boy and, to his great surprise, kissed him on the cheek, a long lasting kiss. Her action caused Silver to miss his mark as the Nevermore he was aiming for was only grazed by the bullet.

"Uhhhh," was all he could say.

"My birthday gift to you Silvester," Bianca said as she got up and left to return to the base.

Silver stopped shooting to watch her leave then placed his hand on the cheek she kissed. He looked to the sky and said, "Best birthday ever."

* * *

 **Silver named his new weapons Fenrir. With Silver being based on 101 Dalmatians, his weapon needed a canine related name. His new weapon gives Team VRSZ the long distance offensive they've been missing.**

 **Ghost's Spectre lets him phase into and control other people. While controlling a huntsmen he cannot use their semblance since he's using his own to possess them. The duration of control varies depending on the person. Ghost finds it difficult to control a person with a strong mind, but inflicting pain or damaging them helps weaken the person and gives him better control. He can also make parts of his body intangible instead of his whole body.**

 **Ghost's theme is Lies Greed Misery by Linkin Park. He's a nonchalant type of person, but if he's pushed enough he will retaliate and you'll live to regret it.**

 **When Ghost and Blood work together, Bianca thought of their team attack name: Trick or Treat. A name Blood and Ghost don't agree with, but everyone says it's perfect.**

 **With this chapter being Silver's birthday, the date of this chapter is July 17th.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Zelts Allister, The Knight of The Wind**

 **Setting: Concordia**

Clair de Lune Vantablack, aristocrat of the Vantablack family, monarch of Fortuna, and leader to all her people, was currently taking a stroll down her town-city. She enjoyed walking through her home whenever she had the time, but today Clair was leisurely walking through one of the new parts of Fortuna, the Bazaar. It's known for allowing merchants and travelers to set up shop and sell whatever the wished for however long they stayed. This addition has been very popular because of the never ending variety of items for sale, but it has also been infamous for lowlifes and thieves scurrying about to loot others. This was something that got many of Clair's staff worried, and to satisfy their pleas, she hired someone to accompany her, specifically a freelancer.

Clair was happily walking through the Bazaar with a smile her has and her arm wrapped around the arm of a freelancer, Zelts Allister, who was rather uncomfortably with the proximity between them. She had her arms wrapped around his own while nuzzling into his shoulder. If she wanted to walk protected then that's what she got, but all eyes were on the two who were walking like a couple.

"Um, Clair," Zelts called out to his client.

"Yes Zelts?"

"You're making me really uncomfortable here."

"Why? I think if you were to protect me, then being as close as possible would be absolutely necessary." She was enjoying herself, even though Zelts didn't feel the same. It wasn't that he didn't like Clair, but it was the fact that he was in a special relationship with someone else.

"You know I'm in a relationship with Lily, and this... is a bit...um...compromising."

"Heheheh, I'm fully aware of your status and loyalty to Lily, Zelts. And if what you told me about her is true, then I'm sure she's a sensible young woman who will understand the situation. You're only doing your job after all. Oh, let's check this stand."

Clair let go of his arm to check out a booth selling jewelry and very rare gemstones. The merchant behind the counter was a woman with short, brown hair while wearing a tan tunic. She seemed very welcoming to let Clair browse her wares. Zelts just kept an eye from a distance to make sure everything was alright. As Clair was admiring the stones, the merchant just watched her with a smile.

"Is there any that catch your eye miss..."

"Clair de Lune Vantablack."

"If none of those meet your fancy, then maybe something like this will be more to your liking ma'am."

The merchant bent down to pick something out from beneath her booth. The woman emerged from beneath the booth with a knife and lunged over her stand to stab Clair in the throat, but a large hand grabbed her arm to stop her. Zelts had a firm grip on the woman who was stunned by his quick response. Seeing as how she tried to kill his client and friend, he lifted the woman up in the air then slammed her into the booth with brute strength. The people around them stopped what they were doing to look at the situation before returning to whatever they were doing. This was a regular thing in Fortuna so people running away was only if a fight got too out of control.

Clair's face was calm throughout the entire assassination attempt. In fact, she had a smile the entire time. She had her gaze on the unconscious assassin then brought her attention to her protector and said, "So you knew she was a fraud too."

"Before they can set up shop, all merchants are informed about who you are and told to address you as Lady Clair at all times. She called you ma'am," Zelts answered as he looked to make sure the girl posing as a merchant was actually unconscious.

"I was right to bring you with me Zelts. The shield of the freelancers is the best choice for an escort."

"Though I don't think you'd have a problem traversing this place alone. You seemed prepared to handle her."

"I am quite resourceful on my own, but having such a dependable person makes me feel safe." Clair wrapped her arm around Zelts' again and he just let her since he couldn't say no.

They walked some more until Clair stopped because she wanted to get some ice cream at a nearby stand. Zelts insisted on going to get it for her, mostly to get her off his arm. She happily agreed and waited at an empty table for his return. Before he could buy an ice cream cone, Zelts heard screaming.

"RRRWWWAAAARRRRR!"

Zelts looked up to see someone over him. The person had a giant ax ready to split his skull in two, but Zelts protected himself with his Heart of Gold to shield him from the strong assault. He flung his equipped arm to swat away his assailant who landed a few feet away from him. Zelts got a good look at the person, but he already knew he was dealing with Vermiliya, the sister of the Vermilion Twins and Zelts was aware if she was here, then her brother was nearby. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard gunfire from a shotgun. Vermilion entered the fray with his favorite shotgun grenade launcher.

"VRSZ DOG! We're here to distr- I mean destroy you!" Vermilion shouted while aiming his weapon at the freelancer.

Zelts was a clever person. He was aware of the slip up Vermilion said, but Vermiliya came from behind and smacked him with the blunt side of your ax, pushing him into the ice cream booth. The people around them began to leave to avoid becoming casualties in the upcoming battle. The young man with wildfire hair launched a grenade where Zelts landed and an explosion consumed the area where the ice cream stand used to be. When the smoke cleared, Zelts was seen being protected by his shield. He knew he didn't have time to waste on them, he had to return to Clair before it's too late. Back at the table Clair was waiting, she noticed the commotion and people running away, but she didn't realize that someone was approaching her. Zelts split the Heart of Gold into wingblades and with a strong swing of his arms, a gale of green wind was released. The force of nature swept the twins of their feet and onto the ground. Zelts really had no time for them, he had to go to the person who hired them to distract him, the true mastermind.

When Vermilion got back up he saw Zelts leave the area and was furious. He rallied his sister to get back up so they could do their job and maybe kill a member of Team VRSZ in the process. Vermiliya got in the freelancer's way and swung her massive ax, but he parried using his wingblades, though the force pushed him back a little since his weapon wasn't in shield form. He retaliated by using both his blades to attack her and she blocked his strike by using her ax. She was pushed back, giving her brother the moment to fire another grenade, but Zelts saw his action and caught the explosive in his hand which started to glow gold, signaling the activation of Conversion. He drained all the dust in the grenade, leaving the explosive shell as a harmless dud. There was no physical change in Zelts' appearance, but he converted the dust energy to his strength, allowing him be stronger and faster than before. Seeing as how he wasn't going to make it back to Clair unless he dealt with the twins, he moved in to finish this.

Zelts knew the real threat was Vermilya since her brother was all bark and no bite, so he moved to take her out first. When she got up she saw the freelancer move toward her and she armed herself with her ax, but Zelts spun his body and blades around to create a small tornado that was now a shimmering gold color thanks to the energy from his semblance. She was swept off her feet and the tornado carried her away then launched her far off to who knows where in Fortuna. All Zelts knew was she was no longer a problem, unlike her brother, who was enraged by what happened to his sister. Zelts brought his wingblades together to reform his shield and he walked to the fire headed madman while behind his weapon. Completely blind with anger, Vermilion slowly approached Zelts while firing round of round from his shotgun even though it was all for not against Zelts' stalwart Heart of Gold. Without even knowing it, Vermilion walked right into the shield and Zelts held it up with one hand, reeled his other arm back, and punched his shield with his superior strength at the exact location Vermilion was against. The impact reached Vermilion's head and he was knocked out on the ground, leaving Zelts to return to Clair.

The Lady of Fortuna was still sitting in her chair at the table, waiting for Zelts to return with her ice cream while there was a broadsword pointed at her. The person wielding the weapon was a young man in a black body suit covered with some light, gray armor on his upper body and legs that seemed worn out, a dark green jacket, and boots with some metal plating. He had dark green eyes and a scar running down his jaw.

"You must be the Grayson. Violet told me about you from her time on the run," Clair said in a calm tone. She obviously wasn't scared of the young man or that he had a sword in her face.

"So you heard of me, I'm flattered. I didn't think Violet would ever talk about me," Grayson said with a cheeky tone that Clair wasn't too fond of. she could honestly say she already disliked him more than her cousin, Copper. And, it didn't help that he continued talking.

"I must be quite a topic of conversation if she brought me up to one of her clients."

"She mostly talks about how she kicks your ass and emasculates you whenever you guys meet. Judging by that scar on your face her stories were true. And I'm guessing from the sounds of a shotgun means you hired the Vermilion Twins to assist you?" Clair was calm throughout this whole endeavor, even wounding Grayson's pride with her insulting words.

The young man didn't take it well as he positioned his broadsword right at her neck before speaking.

"Yeah, those two can really cause some damage and distract your so called guardian, giving me enough time to kidnap you and see what price I can get for your head. Maybe next time you'll learn to hire more than one freelancer to watch your ass." His threatening words didn't seem to get the results he wanted. Clair laughed at him for unknown reasons and it confused Grayson a lot.

"Zelts is a man with resolve. I have nothing to worry about with him protecting me. He'll stop your plan without fail. Not to mention I can take you down myself without even lifting a finger." When Clair said this she spoke in a sing-song tone that had an effect on Grayson. He clutched his head with his free hand and grunted in pain like he was having a massive headache. It was thanks to Clair's Songstress messing with his brain and body, but she didn't let it end there.

"Oh, and whoever said I had only one freelancer on my payroll?"

When she said that, Grayson snapped out of his mental funk, only to sense a familiar presence behind him. He turned around to see a small blade come at him. He blocked with his broadsword, but the unexpected attack threw him off balance. The next attack came from the assailant's boot. Grayson was kicked hard away from Clair, who smiled at her rescuer.

"You really have a knack for attracting the strangest people," Violet said with a Cheshire's Enigma in her hand.

"I could say the same thing about you," Clair retorted humorously and it made Violet grin.

Grayson got back up to see who hit him and he wasn't pleased to see reinforcements.

"That invisible bitch was here the whole time. Great."

Before he could do anything else, Grayson saw another figure approach him. It jumped above him and tried to land on top of him, but he dodged by jumping backwards, leaving the figure to slam into the ground and make a small crater. The person who tried to attack him was Zelts, who had Violet by his side. If it were just Violet then the battle could've gone either way, but Grayson knew he didn't stand a chance with her team around. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out three small, fire dust bombs. He threw them at Violet and Zelts' feet where they exploded and covered the area in smoke and sand, giving him enough time to escape out of the Bazaar then out of the city. Zelts used his wingblades to blew the obstruction away and they both saw that Grayson was gone. This didn't sit well with Violet because she really hated that guy, but she and Zelts heard applause coming from behind them, only to see it the Lady of Fortuna herself.

"Well done Team VRSZ, well done. I knew hiring you guys was the right idea if I wanted my staff to stop whining," Clair said with a smile on her face.

"I only tagged along to be an unseen guardian, but I never expected Grayson to do something bold like attack you, or something stupid like hire the Vermilion Twins," Violet said.

"He didn't hurt you did he Clair?" Zelts asked as he approached his client.

"No he didn't touch me, but you are so sweet to ask. Lily is a lucky girl to have you, though I hope I can hire you again to be my shield."

"Sure. Give me a call whenever you need me," Zelts offered with kindness, but Violet interjected, "For a fee," and Clair giggled.

"Of course, I know you freelancers have to make a living, as do I. Well, now that all the fun is over with, let's head back to Concordia. Care to escort me back?" she asked looking as Zelts and Violet who guided her back to her office.

 **Setting: Concordia**

The two freelancers completed their assignment and got paid by the Lady of Fortuna. Outside the building, Violet was counting the money with a look of satisfaction while Zelts looked at her with an arched eyebrow.

"I think you've become too obsessed with money Violet," Zelts said with concern for his leader.

"That's not true. Things have just been going well for us these past few days. I'm not letting it get to my head. If anything, I'm just happy."

"...Good, cause I think we should talk about Grayson stepping into our hometown. That was very bold move."

"Yeah, but I don't think he knew we lived here. He probably thought we were doing a job protecting Clair which is good. We don't want him coming here and threatening her, not like he could. Besides today, Clair is safeguarded by her task force and Team BASG, so it's not something to worry about."

"I guess you're right. We don't have to worry about him making a second visit, but if he comes back, I'll be prepared to take him out."

Violet smiled at his declaration and said, "Look at you protecting us all. Clair was right, you are the freelancer's shield."

"I wouldn't know about that, but if you guys are ever in trouble, I'll always have your backs," Zelts said with confidence as he looked around to his Heart of Gold attached to his back.

* * *

 **Zelts wears a green scarf that was given to him by Lily, so he treasures it dearly. Whenever he's thinking about her, he reaches up and rubs the thin piece of clothing between his fingers.**

 **Zelts' nickname is the same as his original theme song.**

 **Zelts has learned to transfer his aura into his shield to increase its defensive capabilities and withstand extremely powerful attacks, but doing so leaves his body fatigued depending on how much aura he puts into the Heart of Gold.**

 **Whenever they defeat an opponent on a job, Violet and Silver will search their persons and take whatever money or expensive trinket they have. Zelts doesn't do this because he thinks it's a bit excessive and Remus normally doesn't do it unless asked. Zelts is the nicest member of the team and very popular with women.**

 **Grayson's theme song is Wolf In Sheep's Clothing by Set It Off. The lyrics describe the type of person Grayson is; an asshole who will do anything for himself. Betray anyone, kill anyone, and spread chaos if it means he gets paid or just for the fun of it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: It's Just A Prank Part One**

 **Setting: Kingdom of Vacuo**

Sirens were going off, searchlights were scanning the area, and people, adults and academy students were running around the area where dangerous prisoners were held. Outside the kingdom were two figures hiding in a crevice of the kingdom's outside wall, waiting for the opportune moment to move. The one in front, playing the role of lookout, was Grayson with a triumphant smirk on his face. With the coast clear, he walked out of his hiding place then turned to the person behind him.

"You coming? It wasn't easy busting you out you know, so I expect compensation," Grayson said to the person who crawled out of the crevice to show it was a prisoner and former enemy of Team VRSZ, Turquoise.

"What do you want?" Her usual laid back attitude was long gone and a scowl was plastered on her face. Her appearance changed drastically since she was in prison. Turquoise's pixie cut blue-green hair was now reduced to a buzz cut.

"Wow, straight to the point. Well as a mercenary I take less than moral jobs to make a living and sometimes I can't do it on my own. So, as repayment for busting you out of prison, you help me out on some of them. I can even cut you in on the money if you do well. Better than wasting away in a cell if you ask me. You game?"

"..."

"I'll take that as a yes."

Grayson walked away from the kingdom and Turquoise silently followed him.

 **A Few Days Later**

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

"I demand a recount," Silver said with his arms folded.

"There is no recount. I'm the leader, so I always get the last word. Fantasia is the official name of our car," Violet concluded from the living room couch.

"I feel like your abusing your authority as a leader. We should put the name up for debate. Let the people decide."

"I don't mind," Zelts said from the other side of the couch. "It's actually better than your choice."

"What's wrong with my name?"

"Your name for the car was the Silvermobile," Zelts answered.

"The car is silver and it's a automobile," Silver defended.

"And it has your name in it, like the car belongs to you," Violet countered.

"That's a happy accident, and it's better than the suggestion Remus made," Silver said pointing to Remus who was eating from a green apple in the kitchen and looked hurt from Silver's words.

"What was wrong with mine?" he asked.

"Yeah, his was actually kinda alright," Zelts said with honesty.

"There is no way I'm gonna ride in a car named Sprinkles," Silver said verbally putting his foot down.

"Then it's settled. Fantasia is the compromise. Same name as our team attack so it represents all of us," Violet explained and she got a text on her scroll.

"And that was a potential client asking for our expertise. Head to the garage we're taking a ride in the Fantasia."

Violet and her boys headed to the garage and Zelts walked beside Silver and said, "Already sounds better than the Silvermobile," and Silver grumbled at his comment.

 **Setting: Ghost and Bianca's Apartment Building**

The meeting place for clients always changed because Violet thought letting people know where they lived was a bad idea just in case they had to refuse a job from someone who wouldn't take no for an answer. Today, the team decided to use an unoccupied room in the apartment as a rendezvous point. There was a coffee table and two chairs on different sides facing each other. Sitting in one chair was Violet with her boys standing beside her and in the other chair was her client. An elderly man with gray hair and he was accompanied by a young man with short orange hair.

"In order to keep our names secret, I think it's best if we use code names. So I'll be calling you Mr. Gray," she said pointing to the elderly man, "and you Mr. Orange," she pointed the young man this time, "This will keep things fair so no one knows too much about the other."

"I don't understand how is this discreet? We can clearly see who you are," the young man said not getting what she meant.

"If you give someone a face, then you have a target, but if you give someone a name, then you have information. Something I think is much worse than worrying about exposing my face to you. So Mr. Gray, what business do you wish to discuss with the freelancers?" Violet asked the potential client.

"My fath- I mean, Mr. Gray has a package he wishes for you to deliver to an... associate of his," Mr. Orange said as the voice of Mr. Gray and he continued.

"We will pay you an enormous amount of money, but all we ask is you not look at what you're delivering or tell anyone what you are-"

"We refuse," Silver interrupted.

"I beg your pardon?" Mr. Orange was not amused by Silver's words.

"What my partner means is we won't be doing any shady dealing, so we will not be taking this assignment," Violet corrected.

"But I believe this large sum of money will surely compensate any-"

"I said no. We're not your typical mercenaries or bounty hunters. We're freelancers. If a job doesn't sit well with us, then we won't take it, so goodbye."

"..."

"..."

"...Very well, we'll be leaving," Mr. Orange said seeing as he wasn't getting the response he wanted. He helped his boss out of the chair and escorted him out of the room, leaving Team VRSZ as the only occupants.

Zelts let out a long breath and scratched the back of his head. "No new job for us."

"Too bad, a large amount of money would've meant new clothes, kitchen supplies, and maybe new spinners for the Fantasia. Sucks to be us," Silver said with playful sarcasm.

"We may do things for money, but we don't do work for the criminal underworld. That's an understood rule between all of us," Violet said as she got up from her seat. "Let's go home."

When she got to leave the room and opened the door, Violet saw Bianca on the other side. She knew she lived in this building, but was still surprised to see her on this floor, not to mention she had someone else with her. The person was a young girl with brown hair in a ponytail. Her face showed she was a little hesitant and Bianca most likely brought her here despite objections. Even now the girl refused to look anyone in the eye, just looked around in every other direction.

"Hello Violet, everyone. I noticed you spoke with a client recently and guessed you refused the job he offered," Bianca summarized correctly before continuing, "Which is why I brought someone who may need your services."

Bianca looked to the girl and nodded, signaling her to approach the team and talk.

"M- My name is-" the girl started, but Violet put her hand up.

"We don't use names when making business. Based on the color of your hair, let's just call you Ms. Brown for now," Violet suggested and the girl agreed.

"Y- yes, so my village, my home has been getting attacked by a pack of Grimm and I'd like to hire you to deal with it."

"That sounds like something any huntsmen could take care of," Zelts said unsure why she came to them for this problem.

"That' the thing. My village has been around for a very long time. Something rare for settlements in Vacuo and because of that our leaders have very strict traditions. One of them being that any Grimm threat should only be taken care of by huntsmen. There aren't many huntsmen in our village and they've been injured not only by the Grimm, but by bandits and thieves who come by to steal from us."

"So you want us to deal with this threat since your guardians are incapacitated," Violet guessed and Ms. Brown nodded.

"But we're not huntsmen, we're freelancers," Remus added. "Couldn't you find actual huntsmen to deal with this?"

"No. There are no nearby huntsmen and the kingdom of Vacuo is too far away for help to arrive. I came to Fortuna to find someone, I met Bianca, and she brought me here."

"You don't have to be huntsmen, just pose as them to deal with the Grimm," Bianca said leaning against the wall.

"I was just going to suggest that. Just let your people know that you hired some huntsmen to wipe out the Grimm," Violet said before looking at Ms. Brown who shuffled through her pants pockets.

"I- I know this isn't much, but this is all I have." Ms. Brown pulled out a handful of Lien and some pocket change, not even close to the normal amount for a job like this. "Please help."

Violet looked at the money and reached over the coffee table. She took a single Lien from the girl and put it in her jacket pocket and said, "Consider it done. As long as you pay and we deem it worthy we'll do the job."

"T- thank you so much!" Ms. Brown was surprised they took the job and she couldn't be happier, but Violet wasn't done asking questions.

"What type of threat are we dealing with?"

"A species of Grimm called Bandersnatch." Violet's eyes widened a little and Remus had a confused look on his face when Ms. Brown answered.

"Alright. Tell us where your village is and we can see what we can do."

"Again, thank you!"

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Back at the base, the team was gearing themselves for the mission. Zelts really didn't need to prepare like the rest, so he readjusted the scarf Lily gave him out of habit while he waited near the door. Silver was equipping himself with extra rounds, placing them in a storage pack he attached to his right leg. Violet was on the couch, restocking her belt pouches with her Enigmas. When she was doing that she felt Remus' eyes on her from the other side of the couch. He wasn't really discreet when he stared at people.

"Something on your mind Remus?"

"When Ms. Brown told us about the Grimm she said they were Bandersnatches."

"Right."

"Grimm with large, feline bodies and bone plating on their claws, hind legs, tails, and covering their entire face," he described the Grimm and Violet nodded as he continued, "And they're completely blind. They rely on their heightened sense of smell and hearing to detect others."

"Very good, someone's been studying afterschool," Violet said in a teasing, playful tone that Remus didn't mind.

"But why are they in Vacuo? I know Grimm aren't like animals, but Dr. Lupa told me this species prefer woodland areas, so finding them in Vacuo is very rare," Remus explained showing concern on his face.

"...I don't like agreeing with the mad doc, but she's right. Their kind don't reside in the desert, which means one thing."

"Someone put them there," Zelts finished for her.

"Meaning there's more to this than meets the eye," Silver said with Fenrir fully loaded and in their holsters.

"Let's go team," Violet ordered and everyone got in Fantasia and drove out of Fortuna to their destination.

 **Setting: Bunker**

At the edge of Vacuo near the vast ocean was a small makeshift base made from metal and reinforced steel. It was located close enough to the beach allowing people to enjoy the Vacuo's infamous heat while being near the refreshing, soothing water. The waves crashing on the shore and the lone person standing on the beach was Turquoise, staring silently at the ocean.

She reached her hand out, activating her semblance, Hydrokinesis, and the water in the ocean began to rise. She controlled a medium size orb of water that floated to her and turned into a whip that circled around her body. She gracefully moved her arms and the water danced like it was a living thing. Turquoise's semblance was a work of art and she seemed lost in her actions until she felt a hand on her shoulder. The sudden action caused her to lose her concentration and the water she was controlling fell on top of her, drenching her and the person who ruined her moment. She turned around to see a wet Grayson with a grin on his face and she looked at him with an annoyed expression.

"Come on, I break you out of prison, I take you to a safe place, near the beach mind you, and wish to help you get back on your feet. Any normal would say thank you and not stare daggers at their rescuers," Grayson said with playfulness that Turquoise didn't like.

"I'm not even sure I should say thank you. Prison in the desert seems better than being with you. But, you did bust me out, so I'll listen to what you have to say at least."

"I already told you what I want; a partnership. If what I heard is true, then you are an amazing individual with powerful abilities. Someone like that shouldn't be imprisoned, someone like that needs a friend. And I'd like to be that friend, your friend."

Grayson extended his hand for Turquoise to take as a sign of friendship. Turquoise stared at him then his hand before reaching out and shaking it. Grayson smiled and Turquoise grinned.

"You do realize since we're taking refuge near the ocean, I can crush you anytime right?" she threatened without losing her grin.

"I'm aware. It's why I chose this place, to show that I trust you and waiting for you to do the same with me," Grayson said with a smile. "This was also the closest base I had when we escaped."

"So what's our next move?" Turquoise asked.

"Well, you had a couple days to relax. I plan on taking some high paying missions so we can make some money and who knows, maybe pick up some new friends along the way." Turquoise grinned at the idea of money and Grayson was enjoying the thought of his own team to take down anyone who got in his way, especially Violet and her team. Little did he know Turquoise had some history with the group of freelancers.

* * *

 **That storage pack Silver uses is actually a gift from Violet. She thought he could use it to hold his ammunition. It wasn't a birthday gift, but a something she bought because she thought of Silver when she saw it.**

 **Even though Remus is the fastest member of the team, Violet has slightly better reflexes.**

 **Remus' eyes are a striking amber color that give off an eeriness, but it's never a problem because of his friendly nature, though if an enemy meets him in battle, his no-nonsense battle face can bring fear to the weak willed.**

 **The members of Team CLSH are still huntresses in training at Fortuna's pseudo-academy. They are the top ranking members when it comes to combat and teamwork, even allowed to do field testing by going on a few Grimm exterminating missions, but they don't consider them their first official mission.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Today is my birthday, so as a treat, I decided to release this chapter a week early. How this will affect when the future chapters will be posted is unknown, though I don't really have a timed schedule. I just post them whenever I think the time is right.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: It's Just A Prank Part Two**

 **Setting: Abandoned Town**

Team VRSZ drove through the desert and made it to Ms. Brown's hometown in half a day. When they arrived, Violet took note that it was recently demolished. The smoke from smoldering rubble, the signs of food left abandoned, and the faint smell of blood was still in the air. There were no signs of life from where they stood.

"Sooo... where are the Bandersn-" Silver's question was answered by a roar.

Some black things were swiftly moving around the town. Whatever was coming was getting closer and Violet moved to action. She grabbed several Enigmas with earth dust and threw them around her team, creating a large border around her team to protect them from what was coming. They heard something crash into the risen earth and from the sound of the impact, whatever hit the wall was fairly large. Silver and Remus jumped up to stand on top of their fort to see their marks, the Bandersnatches. Three of them were circling the earthy barrier.

Just like Remus described, the Bandersnacthes had feline like bodies and sported bone plated armor on their claws, hind legs, tail, and their entire face. They also had no eyes, meaning they do rely on their heightened sense of smell and hearing, explaining why they reacted when Silver spoke. Silver silently jumped from his spot and softly landed on the rooftop of a nearby building. Remus wasn't as fortunate because whatever he did would include noise, but that didn't matter now. One of the Grimm smelt his scent and lunged for him, but he used Checkpoint for a quick escape. The beast was on top of the fort with the Grimm trying to get a stable footing on the earth structure, but Violet wasn't going to give it a chance to get its bearings. She threw one of her throwing knives at its face and electrocuted it. The shocking continued as it fell to the ground, giving Zelts and Violet a chance to jump out of the fort by riding the wind Zelts created with his wingblades.

The Bandersnatch Violet electrocuted and another one focused on her and Zelts while the third went after Remus who teleported a good distance away. Silver remained on the roof to stay out of range. He changed Fenrir from handguns to its sniper form and aimed for the one going after Remus. Unknown to him, there were two more Bandersnatches silently crawling up the building he was on, tracking the unsuspecting Silver by his scent to get the drop on him. Far off on top of the tallest building in the village, a small group of people with scrolls were recording the whole thing.

Remus ran right toward the Grimm as it did the same. He drew Roumulus into its double bladed staff form and with a swing of his staff, he swiped at the Grimm's feet, tripping it up and making it tumble to the ground. He turned around back to the fallen monster and jumped over it to plunge Romulus into its body, only for the Bandersnatch to whip its tail out and smack him away before getting back on its feet. Silver saw this and planned to take the beast out before it could pounce on his friend, but the two other Bandersnatches behind him jumped and tackled him to the ground. The Grimm bit and clawed him, ripping his aura apart until Silver finally changed Fenrir from sniper form back to dual handguns. Through all the claws and fangs, Silver was able to aim one at one the Bandersnatches and he shot out a blast of wind using wind dust. The funnel of concentrated wind propelled one of the Grimm off the roof of the building, leaving Silver with the other one that was trying to bite his face off, but with a free arm, Silver positioned his Fenrir handgun right at its head and fired. The point blank shot killed the Grimm as its body disintegrated into nothingness. With one down, Silver got up to see how the battle was going for his friends. Violet and Zelts were holding their own against the two Bandersnatches. Zelts kept his Heart of Gold in its shield form because Violet told him to. He simply bashed away any foe that got too close to him or his leader, who nimbly dodged the Grimm that tried to snatch and slash her with their claws. While they attacked her, Violet took note of the Grimms' movements. She noticed how clumsy their footwork was while they ran through the sands.

"They aren't used to this kind of terrain, meaning these Grimm were brought here," Violet said to Zelts when she got close.

A Bandersnatch heard her speak and darted right for her, only for Zelts to smack it away with his shield. He kept an eye on the battlefield while she spoke to him and he said, "That makes no sense. Why would anyone bring Grimm to a village?"

"I'll find out. Maybe the people responsible are still here. Give me a boost."

Zelts positioned his shield over his head and Violet jumped on top of it. With a swing of his arm, Zelts flung her high in the air, above the battlefield. She scanned the area for people but found nothing, suspecting the perpetrators were hiding somewhere. Before she reached the ground, Violet initiated Flower Garden. She pulled out a bunch of Enigmas and activated her semblance to make them all invisible. She threw them all toward the Grimm who were able to hear it coming, but the numerous knives made it impossible to dodge them all, leaving them invisible and undetectable by the Grimm. Violet looked to Silver and gave him a hand signal which gave him a message; 'Find the enemy.'

Following her orders, Silver stayed on the rooftop to scout the area for any kind sign of a third party while his friends kept the Bandersnatches off his back. Remus split his weapon to its two swords form as he dealt with not only the Grimm he was fighting, but the other one Silver knocked off the building. The beasts were relentless with their attacks as they had Remus on his toes and attacked from every side. He was able to parry their claw strikes with his swords. Violet was walking around the area, drawing their attention to the sound of her movement.

She danced around the area where she tossed her invisible knives. Remembering where all her Enigmas were, she avoided all of them while the blind Grimm chased her until one of them stepped on a knife and was consumed it in a fiery explosion. The second one chased her until it stepped on one itself and its left front leg was frozen, causing it to topple over and fall which made its head land on another knife that was filled with gravity dust. When the dust activated it emitted a strong gravitational pull that unleashed its full effect on the Bandersnatch's head. The devastating force of gravity began to cause the bone plating on its head to crack and break until its entire head was crushed into a flatten black mess on the floor before disintegrating. The one consumed by fire survived the ordeal, but during the ordeal, Zelts used his wingbldes to cloak himself in wind and fly above the Grimm before falling on top of it. He put his wingblades back into shield form and reeled it back as he made it to the Bandersnatch. With extreme force, he smashed his shield against the Grimm's back and the impact created a crater. When the dust cleared, Zelts was seen with his shield on the ground with a large black stain on the ground before evaporating into the air.

Violet looked over and saw that Remus was still playing with the remaining Grimm, so she turned her attention to Silver, who jumped from his perch to stand by her side. When Zelts regrouped with them Violet asked Silver, "See anything?"

"No sign of them. I don't know if they're here, but if they are, then they're real good at hiding."

Violet thought about how the Grimm were extremely unfamiliar with the territory and had difficulty adapting. "They had to come from somewhere and someone did bring them here."

"Why? For some sick joke?" Zelts complained more than asked, but that sparked an idea for Violet.

"That's it," she said coming to her revelation.

"What do you mean?" Zelts asked not sure how she got that from what he said.

"This is exactly what it is, a sick joke. Someone did this for laughs and giggles, basically a prank. And like most pranks," Violet looked up at the watchtower, "you record it to share with others." She pointed to the tower and her teammates understood what she meant.

"How do you want to do this? Sneak up and give them a scare?" Zelts asked and Violet shook her head no.

"We'll give him a bang," Violet said looking over at the only freelancer still fighting.

Remus was going on the offensive with his swords. With one slash and a happy grin, he cut off one of the Bandersnatch's legs, causing the beast to screech in pain. Wanting up the ante , he activated the energy in his blades then cut the Grimm into pieces before focusing on the other one. Before it could properly react, Remus threw one of his blades at it, piercing and stabbing the beast through its face and Remus used Checkpoint to teleport on top of it and used his other sword puncture its neck. He was content with his battle, but it wasn't over as Violet called to him.

"Remus!" she pointed to the top of the watchtower, "shoot it down!" Remus brought his weapon back to its double bladed staff form then changed Romulus to its railgun form. With charged energy, he fired a bolt of energy directly at the tower, destroying the structure. Violet looked carefully and saw some figures appear from the falling rubble before they started screaming from the fall.

"Zelts." Zelts did what he knew Violet wanted and created a small tornado to catch the three perpetrators so they could land softly to the ground. When they reached the ground, the team got a good look at who were just a bunch of punk teens wearing hoods and Grimm masks to cover their faces. Violet couldn't see who they were, but she didn't care.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" she asked in a threatening tone. Silver pointed one of his guns in the face of one of the kids to get them talking.

"Wh- whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy! Th- this was just a prank!" said one of the masked teen who didn't want to get shot.

"That is the worst excuse ever created," Zelts said, "you destroyed a town just for kicks."

"Not for kicks, it's our job," the other teen said.

"That's a terrible job," Remus said.

"We capture Grimm, unleash them on towns and record the whole thing. People who watch can donate money to help us do these things. It's how we make our living."

"You guys are some special kind of sociopaths. This is going to stop now," Violet commanded.

"You can't do that! We live off the views and money we get. Besides, we only unleash the Grimm so they could destroy towns. It's a victimless crime."

"People die from the Grimm attack," Remus stated in a matter of fact tone.

"Okay it's a victimless crime except for the dead victims."

"You make money off of this?" Silver asked and the three teens nodded.

"We have a bank account with all our money."

"Good, give it to us."

"Hell no!" was the response they all gave to Silver's demand.

"If you don't, then we could leave you here and let some roaming Grimm eat you. What do you say Vi?"

"Hmm... Sounds good to me. Pay us or be left in the desert."

"You wouldn't do that! You're huntsmen, that's just cruel."

"One, we're not huntsmen and two, relax bro it's just a prank," Violet said in a playful, but menacing tone that frightened the teenagers.

 **Setting: Concordia**

The team returned to Fortuna where they met with Ms. Brown in front Concordia. Violet informed her of what happened, the ones responsible, and how they completed the mission. The young girl couldn't be more happy that her home was Grimm free and that the freelancers did it for one Lien.

"Thank you all so much. This is amazing! I don't know what to say," Ms. Brown said too happy to hear that her home was safe, but her face fell when she thought about what comes next. "But repairing everything and getting everyone back will take some time."

"Not as long as you think," Silver said confusing the girl.

"The people responsible were making money of the destruction, but we took it all from them. Transferred the money from their bank to ours and we're giving it to you. Thought it could help with the reconstruction," Violet said as she handed Ms. Brown the check with all the money she needed. "Just tell your people that you hired some huntsmen to eliminate the Grimm and everything should be fine."

The young girl nearly started crying at the fortune of meeting the freelancers and how they fixed her problem for so little. They weren't huntsmen and they were far from heroes, but Ms. Brown thought they were hers. With one final thanks, Ms. Brown left to recruit her fellow townspeople to rebuild her home. Team VRSZ stayed behind to watch her go.

"I saw the amount you put on the check. That wasn't all the money those punks gave us," Zelts said to Violet who glanced his way.

"You know just one measly Lien wasn't enough for this kind of mission. I took pity on the girl, That's why I gave her enough for her town to get back on its feet. We can keep the remaining 2,000 as payment, what that sweet girl doesn't know won't hurt her."

"All in all, I say it as a good day, well not for those other guys. We left them in the middle of the desert to fend for themselves after they transferred the money," Silver stated.

"It's not our job to help them out," Violet said caring very little about the three, stranded punks. "Let's head home boys."

 **Setting: Vast Ocean**

Massive waves came crashing down on a supply ship, causing the vessel and its passengers sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Once the ship was destroyed the terrifying raging seas calmed down instantly. When the waters stilled a small boat could be seen close by and on that craft were Turquoise and an impressed Grayson who was clapping like he just saw a play.

"Wow! You realize you just completed a 20,000 Lein mission in a matter of minutes?" Grayson asked rhetorically to the silent woman. "Wish I had your semblance."

"You're not satisfied with yours? It makes as tenacious as a cockroach," Turquoise commented in a slightly harsh tone.

"Not a cockroach, but I'm harder to kill than most. Still trade it up to control water, that was phenomenal." His comment actually made Turquoise feel good about herself.

Originally, she was going to drown Grayson the first chance she got, but she was starting to warm up to him. Plus his skill in fighting the cargo holders and hired bodyguards to allow her the concentration she needed to make that tidal wave impressed her. She was seeing how fruitful it was to work with someone again.

"You know what," Grayson said breaking her from her own thoughts, "you did most of the work on this, so you can get more than half your share." Promising her more money only solidified her decision to work with him for however long she needed.

"Let's head back to collect our pay," Turquoise said as she used her semblance to move the water around their dingy boat to steer it around and pushed them back to their client's location.

* * *

 **Remus is an open-minded person and tries to get along with everyone, even his enemies, but there are some people that he actually dislikes. One example would be Grayson because of his violent attitude toward his team. An example of someone who isn't an enemy Remus doesn't like is Copper Periwinkle Vantablack, the only person who has pushed his seemingly limitless patience to the limit just by being in his presence.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Their Debut Mission**

 **Setting: Moneta**

In the building where bounty hunters, huntsmen, and others would go to find missions and get paid for completing them, Team CLSH were there as well. Cerise was looking at the mission board, searching for a mission that could qualify as their first official mission. After all the training they received from the academy and Team VRSZ, Cerise and the others believed they were ready. Finally deciding on a mission, Cerise went to Sterling to officially accept it and she went to her team to inform them. "What do we got?" Loden asked sitting in a chair.

"Some local bandits have been attacking travelling merchants and ransacking the supply depots. We're going to find them and stop them for 750 Lien," Cerise said as she looked at the details on her scroll.

"Doesn't seem hard," Sapphire commented as she played with the cables from her Spinnerets while sitting in her seat.

"That doesn't seem like a lot of money," Hazel said a little concerned.

"No, but we're beginners. High paying jobs are too much for us despite tagging along with VRSZ. This time, we're on our own," Cerise answered as she and her team got up and left.

"Hey, just got a text from Remus," Sapphire said looking at her phone, "he said good luck."

"That's nice. We should go and get ready," Hazel said as the team left the building.

Sitting in the corner of Moneta's resting area were Remus and Zelts, watching the girls leave. Zelts looked to Remus who just put his scroll away. He arched his eyebrow about how sneaky Remus was being and finally spoke up about his bizarre behavior. "You don't have to do this. They'll be perfectly fine, nothing for you to worry about and no reason for me to be here as back up."

"...I just want to make sure they're okay on their mission. Sapphire texted me that they were going today and I got really... concerned," Remus admitted, showing he's acting out of kindness.

"Your heart's in the right place, but I think you might be being a little overprotective. You have to let them do this on their own, just like what Dr. Lupa did for you when she let you out into the world. Right?"

Remus contemplated Zelts' words and he understood what his friend was trying to say. He sighed in defeat. "Okay, we won't get involved, but can we at least follow them? Just to watch how it goes?" Remus was looking at Zelts with his amber eyes to coax his friend into coming along. This time, it was Zelts' turn to sigh in defeat. He knew Remus was a good guy and just watching from afar would be harmless.

"Alright, let's go before we lose them. And we have to walk a good distance away, Loden and her Panorama would spot us if we're too close."

 **Setting: Ceres**

In the more suburban area of Fortuna was the location of Team CLSH's base which also happened to be Loden's place. Inside the house, the girls were getting prepared for their mission to stop the thugs. Outside the building were Remus and Zelts, waiting on top of someone's home for the girls to leave.

"I'm good. How about you guys?" Hazel said as she put on her Hive tech pack.

"I'm ready to go," Sapphire answered.

"Cerise?" Loden asked their leader who has been silent for a while.

"...I'm fine...just this is our first official mission as a team. I'm kinda nervous, but very excited at the same time." Cerise couldn't stop smiling at the two feelings playing tug of war inside her heart. Whether they succeeded or not didn't matter to her, this was her team's debut. Just then, Hazel's Hive three drones entered the base through an open window and flew back into the tech pack. "Hazel, have your drones figured out where the bandits are?" Cerise asked as Hazel used the device on her wrist to scan the data her drones collected.

"...Yes, they aren't that far away from Fortuna. The bandits are hiding in the desert. Just a couple hours away."

"Then that's where we'll go," Sapphire said signaling that they were all ready.

As they left, Remus and Zelts slowly trailed behind them as they followed the young team to their destination. It got even more difficult when the duo were in the barren desert area. With nothing to use as cover, the two boys were forced to fallback a great distance to stay out of Loden's sight. They weren't able to be there when the girls finally made it to the bandits' hideout.

 **Setting: Desert**

The members of Team CLSH trekked through the Vacuo sands for about an hour and a half before reaching the rocky canyon area that the bandits were using as a hideout. The rock formations provided good cover and were a good distance away from the usual supply routes. Right now, the bandits were sitting together, examining the haul of their latest raid. Team CLSH were standing on the other side of the rocky formation until Cerise told Sapphire to get a good look of the area. Sapphire used the cables in her Spinnerets to stretch out of her gauntlets and attached them to the top of the rocky formation. When she retracted the cables, pulling her all the way to the top where she could see everything while remaining out of sight. She got a good look at what she and her team were up against then descended back down to inform her friends.

"There are about two dozen of them. We can totally take them down," Sapphire said with a grin.

"Are they armed?" Cerise asked.

"Yeah, but nothing special. Just common weapons. I'm guessing they bully and steal using numbers. Like I said, we can take them."

Cerise pulled out several of her Runaways and told her friends their roles in their surprise attack. Moments later, Sapphire used her cables to reach the top of the large rock wall again, but with Loden accompanying her. She wrapped her cables around her friend's waist and flung her into the air with all her might without the bandits knowing. Meanwhile, Cerise entered the bandits' hideout discreetly and placed several lit cherry bombs in strategic locations to scare them and prevent them from leaving. She returned to her starting point when she finished and stood there with Hazel as the bombs went off. The unsuspecting bandits were frightened by the explosion and frantically ran around rather than grab their weapons, giving Loden the perfect chance to land in the middle of the ground with World Splitter and cause a shockwave of earth to level the area along with the bandits.

When their plan was implemented, Cerise shouted for her team to enter the fray and take out the surprised and weakened bandits. Sapphire used her cables to attach to the wall on the other side of the area and swing down to the ground. Unknown to her, Remus and Zelts teleported to the exact spot to watch the fight and it seemed to be going well.

When the bandits realized they were being attacked they grabbed their weapons, namely common swords/guns, and tried to mount a counterattack. Hazel released two of her drones to find and blast any bandits in their vicinity while the other one remained on her Hive to act as a jet pack in case she needed a quick escape. Sapphire was having a grand old time. She was swinging around and whipping anyone in her way. When she finally reached ground level, she spun around to knock about six guys of their feet with her cables.

A very huge man walked up to her and tried to cleave her with his greatsword, but Sapphire dodged the attack by back flipping away from the sword then used her cables to attach to the man's body. Using her Spinnerets like a puppeteer, she controlled the man's body and used him to attack his fellow thieves. This type of tactic always showed the more sadistic side of her wild style because she had the huge man, who was yelling and begging her to stop, run around the battlefield until he was physically exhausted, rendering unable to fight. Behind her, Loden was fighting against several armed bandits with her bare hands. She was kept her naginata attached to her backside as she punched and kicked the bandits away with little effort. When three of them pointed guns at her, she grabbed World Splitter and used the spear to block and deflect the gunfire before erecting a wave of earth directly at the gunmen, hurting all three of them and knocking them to the ground. She was going to rejoin her teammates, but a bandit with a long sword challenged her to battle. They started their bout and Loden could tell from just a few traded blows that this guy was a better fighter than his cohorts.

Cerise was fighting as well, but the most shocking thing about it was she was doing it using hand to hand combat. In the past, she relied more on her weapons, but learning from the academy and training from Loden helped her become more adept to fighting with her body. She wasn't as good as her friend, but she was holding her own against two bandits before tossing a flash bomb in their face. She shielded herself as the light blinded them and she moved in to punch both men in their jaws, though the attack did hurt her fist a bit.

From their high vantage point, Remus and Zelts were watching the ensuing fight and they could admit they were highly impressed by the younger team's abilities.

"Wow, they are kicking their asses," Zelts said as he sat down to enjoy the view. He looked over at his friend since he didn't reply and he saw him with a big grin. It looked like he was going to swoop down and join the fight at any moment, meaning Zelts would have to restrain him somehow. But before either of them could take action, they both heard a familiar sound, the screech of a Nevermore. The panicking and frustration of the bandits drew at least three Nevermores as they circled the area. Cerise caught a glimpse of the Grimm and she told Hazel to take care of them. Hazel commanded her two drones to stop shooting thugs and return to her side. With the two drones attaching to her wrists and the third still connected to her Hive tech pack, Hazel used Hive as a jet pack to fly into the air to attack the Grimm, not before Sapphire used her cable to wrap around Hazel's arm and hitch a ride while Cerise and Loden dealt with the remaining bandits on the ground. When Hazel and Sapphire flew by Zelts and Remus, both boys had the same thought.

 _"They don't need our help,"_

Hazel swung the arm Sapphire was hanging onto and flung her toward one of the giant flying monsters. She wrapped her cables around the leg of the closest Nevermore and retracted them so she could reach the Grimm's body while Hazel used the drones on her wrists to fire laser blasts at the other two Grimm, gaining their attention as they tried to eat her. Sapphire finally reached the Nevermore's body and climbed onto its back before she attacked. She swung her cables around the Grimm's mouth and she used them as reins to fly and steer it around the area. Sapphire shouted in excitement at what she was doing, but it was short lived because she noticed the other two Nevermores were cornering Hazel, who was doing her very best to avoid their talons and not get eaten.

When she got close enough, Sapphire activated the ice dust in her Spinneret gauntlets to make the cables cold enough to freeze anything they touched, including the Grimm whose body froze over. Sapphire jumped off before the frozen Nevermore crashed into the other two, killing the frozen bird and another one, but one was still alive as it fell trying to take to the sky again. Hazel used this moment to fire full blast on the Grimm's throat's, a blast strong enough to obliterate the neck and decapitate the last Nevermore. Hazel quickly went over to catch Sapphire before descending to the ground, where Cerise and Loden were dominating the battle.

Loden was still in her duel with the long sword wielding bandit while Cerise fought the remaining seven. Because they were in a close quarter fight, Loden couldn't use the earth dust effectively, but that didn't stop the brave, young girl from fighting the man to a standstill. Meanwhile, Cerise was fighting the other bandits by punching one in the gut and kicking another in his glass jaw. As for the other six that decided it was best to stay together, Cerise activated Shields to create a large force field around them to prevent them from escaping. They banged on the force field, but it didn't break or crack. Cerise, feeling triumphant, strutted to the dome filled with thieves and lowlifes then grinned in a mocking fashion. She pulled out three Runaways filled with lightning dust, created a small opening in the force field just by thinking it, and she quickly threw her cherry bombs into it. The men began to go into a scared frenzy as they desperately tried to pry open the force field, but it was too late, the bombs unleashed powerful bursts of lightning that electrocuted the men.

Their painful screaming were heard by the sole remaining bandit and he looked at his colleagues fall in defeat. His moment of concern gave Loden the chance she needed to head butt the man in the face, causing him to stagger and walk backwards, and Loden used this distance to slash the ground with World Splitter to create a small wave of stone that hit the man directly in the gut before sending him flying. He fell to the ground unconscious, leaving Loden as the victor.

Every member of Team CLSH regrouped back to the ground to take a good look at their handiwork. Cerise smiled at the realization and shouted, "We did it! Our first, real mission and we completed it!" Her enthusiasm reached to her teammates, and to the two boys watching from above who were actually trying their best not to applaud. The girls rounded up the bandits and Sapphire wrapped them all in her cables so she could drag them back to Fortuna to get the reward.

"And that's a wrap... I can't believe I just made that pun," Sapphire said. She turned to Cerise who had Loden whisper something in her ear. Seeing no other reason to stay, Sapphire asked, "Can we go now?"

"Not yet," Cerise answered as she pulled out her scroll.

Just as that happened, Remus got a call on his scroll. He picked it up and answered whoever was calling him. "Hello?"

"You do realize we knew you were following us this entire time. No one can hide from Loden's Panorama. Remus, Zelts, I know you guys are up there," Remus froze when he heard this, "come down here now." The look on his face told Zelts everything, they were found out. He placed a hand on Remus' shoulder and smiled, showing that they should go down. Remus used Checkpoint to teleport Zelts and himself to the ground where the girls were waiting for them. Feeling like a child caught red handed, he held his head in shame. Zelts just looked at the girls and apologized in his friend's steed.

"Sorry about the tailgating. Remus was a little worried about you guys fighting crooks on your own. He just wanted to make sure everything was alright. He didn't have any ill intentions, nor was he going to interrupt your mission. All he wanted was to make sure you guys were okay."

Remus dared to look up, expecting to see the girls angry with him, but he saw that they were smiling. This threw him off, he thought they were going to scold him for invading, but Cerise said something that blew that thought away.

"You really care that much about us? Both you guys are really sweet," Cerise said with her voice dripping with sugary kindness. Remus' attitude changed from remorse to cheerfulness when he realized they were fine with his actions.

"Soooo, how did we do?" Cerise asked her seniors for their opinion on their performance. This was something the members of VRSZ used to do when they had Team CLSH tag along on their missions to help them improve, but it was an old tradition that ceased to continue after the girls joined the academy. Everyone in Team VRSZ saw the girls as equals, but the younger team still wanted the approval of the people they admired for years.

"You guys were awesome! All of you leveled up a lot in the academy!" Remus shouted, pleasing the girls' egos.

"He's right, each of you performed like a true huntress. If anything, I think it proves that if we need your help on a mission, we know we can call you guys for help." Zelts' words were the very thing Cerise and the other members wanted to hear. The very team that inspired the girls to become huntresses said they would work side by side. This really was the best day ever.

* * *

 **The relationship status of Ghost and Sapphire is different from usual ones. They aren't really a couple, but the two do go on dates every now and then, but neither have ever tried to be exclusive. Ghost doesn't like the label and Sapphire doesn't care, she just likes being with him.**

 **Cerise was always a sweet girl when she was introduced, but exposure to combat and training from Team VRSZ made her more of a tomboy. She also has her own fan fictions about Team VRSZ. Before she actually got to know them, Cerise made some works that were not family friendly. She stopped making those types after getting to know the team.**

 **Team CLSH's base is actually owned be Loden's uncle who travels around Remnant for an unknown job. Whatever the job is, it pays for all the bills for the base.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Prelude To Water**

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Today was a very lazy day for Violet. After several days of non-stop missions, Violet decided to sleep in today and relax. She started by sleeping in her bed all the way through the morning and probably through the afternoon if she wanted. So far her objective was going smoothly, but every plan has a snafu or two. In this case it was the new weight added to her bed, letting her know someone was on it and she had a pretty good idea who it was, Remus Cobalt, her personal alarm clock, but she didn't want to be bothered today. Suddenly, she felt a hand nudge her shoulder to rouse her from sleep, but Violet grumbled and turned her body to the other side of her bed. When the nudging continued, she grumbled some more and said, "Come on Remus, I'm not in the mood," hoping that would stop her friend from pestering her, but she heard laughter that didn't belong to her friend.

"Whoa, what kind of stuff do you guys do in the morning?" Silver jested from his perch on her bed.

Violet immediately opened her eyes to look at Silver, the last person she wanted in her room. In anger and embarrassment, she sat up in her bed and tried to take a swing at him only to hit nothing but air as Silver did a back flip off her bed. He landed on the ground with a smirk while Violet glowered at him for his intrusion and for interrupting her sleep. She can tell his grin came from being able to get a rise out of her with that comment. Despite all they've been through, Silver and Violet still butted heads from time to time, even over the most trivial things. "What the hell Silver? I was trying to get some sleep."

"You've been sleeping all day. Time to get up."

"It's our day off. Why can't you just let me sleep..." Violet laid her head back onto her pillow and attempted to sleep again, but since he ruined her flow, she knew it wasn't going to happen. The least she could do was pretend to get him out of her bedroom.

"Because I made breakfast for everyone, including you, so you're coming down to eat because I don't like wasting food and I already made it for you so... I think it would be best if you got up and ate it. I mean I slaved away in the kitchen to make it."

"Ugh, you are such a passive aggressive bitch," Violet grumbled under her breath before getting out of bed. "Alright I'm getting up, so leave." Her side-cut hairstyle was having an extreme case of bed head and it made her teammate laugh.

"You know you might need to add some more purple dye while you're up. I'm starting to see some blond in your hair boss," Silver joked, but it wasn't received well by Violet.

"Get out," she said in a threatening tone and it didn't help that she drew a few Cheshire's Enigmas and aimed them at Silver. He immediately got out of the room, shutting the door behind him while wondering one thing, _"She sleeps with those things in her bed?"_

Violet reluctantly walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where she saw Zelts finishing whatever he had for breakfast. In the living room was Silver with the TV remote in his hand as he sat on the sofa while flipping through channels He had a bored look on his face, but he perked up when he saw Violet come down with a slightly peeved expression. Zelts looked at Violet with a surprised look, like she wasn't supposed to be in here. "Hey Vi, I thought you were sleeping in today?"

"Silver _insisted_ that I come down to have breakfast with everyone... Speaking of everyone, where's Remus?"

"Oh, he was still sleeping and he looked so peaceful that I couldn't bring myself to wake him, so he's sleeping in," Silver said and it angered Violet, who was staring daggers at him while thinking of actually stabbing him with her daggers. The fact that he did this meant it was all for his amusement. She actually had an Enigma in her hand, but Zelts looked at her and she halfheartedly put the knife away, choosing to focus on the plate of food she suspected. She saw the plate had a cheese, chopped onions, chives, and tomato omelet with two sausage links on the side, her favorite thing to eat for breakfast along with tea, her favorite thing to drink. Even though Silver ruined her slumber, he was still being thoughtful. It was enough for Violet to call off her plan to play barber with his stupid spiky hair with her knives.

"Vi, we need your help," Zelts asked from across the island table, "on a mission, a Deathstalker tackled the Fantasia pretty hard. I think it really needs to be repaired, but I thought it was better to get your opinion first before sending it over to Onyx."

"How bad does it look?"

"It's having a hard time starting and the Grimm's attack knocked some pieces out of place. Silver and I had to push it back into the garage."

"...Alright, I'll see what I can do. Hopefully I can fix it. Going to Onyx for repairs is gonna cut all our money in half," Violet said as she finished her breakfast, but she still had a little sip of her tea. Seeing as it was actually two in the afternoon, Violet thought it was best to look at the car before it got too hot outside. She needed to changed her attire for the encroaching heat, so she returned to her room to take off her jacket and purple shirt in exchange for a black tank top. Without her jacket and long-sleeve shirt, the multiple scars along Violet's arms were much more noticeable. Showing her past injuries never bothered her or made her self-conscious about what others think. All that time made Violet a stronger person in both mind and body, no longer shying away from things that make her uncomfortable.

When she walked through the second floor hallway, Violet stopped right at Remus' slightly open bedroom door. Inside was Remus sleeping soundly in his bed. There wasn't much in his room since he spent most of his time outside it. He had a small desk positioned under the window with a handheld game and several of Violet's borrowed comic books scattered on it. Around his room were random items and knick knacks he acquired or bought just because they caught his eye, something she thought was his style. She walked over to his bed till she stood over his sleeping form. Silver was right, Remus did look peaceful, but it was time for him to wake up. Violet actually thought about the situation she was in. Usually, it was Remus who would enter Violet's room to wake her up, but now their roles have switched and it made her giggle a little. She placed her hand on his shoulder and slightly shook him awake.

"Come on Remus, time to get up," she said in a sing-song voice. Remus slowly sat up, but he didn't look like he was awake, if anything, he looked like he was going to fall back onto his pillow and fall asleep again. He let out a yawn then looked to Violet with sleepy eyes.

"Vi...let... hi," he said in a dozy tone.

"Time for you to get up. No more slacking."

"Do I have to get up now?" he complained, but rose from the bed without showing any defiance. Violet smiled warmly at him for listening before leaving. Pleasant moments like these were the things Violet enjoyed the most with her boys. These moments reminded her that despite all the fighting and missions, they were still people. Remebering her priorities, she walked down to the garage to check the Fantasia's condition and repair it if need be.

 **Setting: Garage**

Violet pushed the car halfway out the garage then examined Fantasia to see the extent of the damage done. As she feared, it was beyond her repair and she needed to call Onyx to get it back in working order, but she could do some minor repairs on some components. She did this so Onyx would have less to do and to lower the bill because Fantasia was an expensive car, modifications and repairs were always costly. Violet, the best gear head on the team, was underneath the car trying her best to fix what she could and Silver, the self-proclaimed gear head of the team, watched her by leaning against the car. He couldn't see anything but Violet's lower half and the tools at her side, so he didn't know what she was doing.

"...Maybe you should try using this wrench thing to reattach the-" Silver's horrible advice stopped when he saw Violet push herself from under Fantasia and looked at him with a questioning look while the rising heat of the desert caused Violet to sweat a little, but it was very noticeable. This wasn't the first time Silver attempted to help her in this endeavor. He said several things before, but she just ignored it until now.

"...You know what? I'll just leave you alone to do your thing," Silver said before leaving to save himself from further embarrassment. She wondered why he came here in the first place since he knew next to nothing about cars, but she paid it no mind. Silver was trying to be helpful in his own weird way, so Violet never told him to stop intruding on her work. Silver went back to the living room where Zelts watched him return with an amused look on his face before aksing, "Why do you even try to help? You don't know anything about cars."

"...I know some stuff," Silver said, but without his usual air of confidence.

"Like what?"

"Things... I don't have to prove anything to you! ...I'm going to Ghost's place!" Somehow that was enough to get to Silver as he stormed out of the base to go to the location he stated. Zelts was only teasing, he did not expect that kind of reaction from the gunman. If he knew Silver was so sensitive about his lack of vehicle knowledge, he wouldn't have said anything, but the deed was done. Just as Silver left, Remus came downstairs, though he looked like he was going to fall over. He greeted Zelts with a wave before falling down next to him on the couch. It didn't take long for Zelts to hear him snore and for Zelts to start laughing. Violet entered the living room as well, wiping oil and grim off her arms and face with a small towel.

"That's about as much as I can do on Fantasia, but our money still gonna be cut in half when Onyx comes to fix it..." she stopped herself when she saw Remus knocked out on the couch and she stifled her laughter, " he could only make it so far. Zelts can call Onyx to fix the car, please?" Zelts pulled out his scroll and pressed onto the screen several times before saying, "Taken care of. Hey Violet, have you seen this report about supply ships disappearing? Zelts showed Violet his scroll with a recurring report of ships sinknig near Vacuo.

"I heard a bit about it. Thought it was some freak storms, but-"

"No other areas near the waters have witnessed these storms. And one that lasts in the same place for a week, something else is going on. Probably a Grimm taking up residence or maybe pirates raiding the ships. Whatever it is, it's causing things like weapons, resources, and other stuff that's always been scarce in Vacuo to be even more scarce. This shortage will affect things in this part of the region," Zelts said as he continued to look at the rest of the report.

"Whatever it is, it's not our problem," Violet said as she dropped onto the couch, causing Remus to awaken from his sleep and sit up straight. "We don't go to these places to fix things for free, otherwise we won't be able to afford living here anymore." Zelts dropped the case because she was right about the supply shortage not being their problem to solve. Instead, he told Violet and Remus how touchy Silver was about knowing nothing about cars, something the others already knew about. Whether it was about a girl knowing more than him or because he wants to be a gear head to help Violet was the topic they discussed together.

 **Setting: Vast Ocean**

Two more ships were submerged under the raging waters along with the sailors and cargo. Once again, Turquoise was on a small boat using her semblance to bend the water to her will while Grayson watched from a leisurely spot behind her. When the deed was done, he clapped to congratulate her on a job well done. This particular job was from a business man who wanted to ruin the supply trade of another business. With Grayson and Turquoise stopping the supplies from reaching Vacuo's shores, the items become scarce, and the other mogul could sell similar goods for double or triple the price. The mercenaries string of success has put them on the man's payroll, earning them tons of Lein, setting them for life, and so far, no one has been able to stop them.

 **Setting: Tea Shop**

Three days after Onyx fixed Fantasia and Zelts telling Violet about the raiding of the supply ships. She told him that it wasn't their problem because they don't go out of their way to solve the world's problems like huntsmen, they're freelancers. Unless someone paid them, it wasn't their concern, something Violet expressed to Zelts in their discussion. Three days after that, a new client arrived at a nearby teashop to hire the freelancers. The man speaking to the team was a man in his mid-thirties with a stressed look on his face. He wore a dark blue business suit and had short black hair. Nothing really stood out about him, so Violet dubbed him Mr. Suit. He took a sip of tea he bought for himself before telling Team VRSZ what he wanted from them. "You guys are the freelancers. I've heard about you guys and your reputation-"

"Spare us the ass kissing and get to the point," Violet said because she could tell Mr. Suit's praising words meant nothing. As a man of business, he would say anything he had to if it meant getting what he wants. Her old life as an aristocrat helped Violet understand the motives of upper-class individuals.

"...Very well. As I'm sure you have heard, supply ships en route to this area of Vacuo have been attacked and raided. Those supply ships are mine." This surprised the team, mostly Violet and Zelts, because they both knew where this was going. She thought this was the whims of Fortuna choosing to screw with her for disregarding the ships sinknig.

"You want us to find the pirates and stop them," Zelts said, taking a guess at what Mr. Suit wanted them to do, but the man shook his head. "Not pirates, mercenaries. A rival trading company has been hiring a mercenary group to attack and destroy my cargo, effectively ruining my company's business. I want the freelancers to find these hired guns and stop them from attacking my ships," Mr. Suit said in a tone that told Violet that he really needed their help.

"This is a battle between rival companies. If one uses mercenaries, then the other counters by sending mercenaries of their own," Silver stated as he thought about the job.

"I may not know much about you freelancers, but I have been told that you guys are not mercenaries, you're something better. It's the reason I came to you all in person, to ask for your help," Mr. Suit said with an honest look.

"How much for our services?" Violet asked.

"I'm willing to pay you all a substantial amount of money. How does 20,000 Lien sound?"

"Make it 25,000, and you got a deal," Violet said and Mr. Suit agreed. The two shook hands, cemented their covenant.

* * *

 **The 20,000 Lien Mr. Suit offered the team was actually fine to Violet, but she had to pay Onyx just as much for repairing the Fantasia. She wanted more just to break even. Silver had to take care of Fantasia while the other members were gone, but he didn't know anything about cars. He winged it most of the time and looked up some things from the internet, but never got to use his knowledge.**

 **Despite Team VRSZ living in Vacuo, not everyone on the team hails from the kingdom. Violet was a former noble from the Underland family in Atlas. Silver was born in Atlas as well, but lived on the streets. Zelts original home before he was kidnapped was in Vale. Remus' original village is somewhere in Vacuo, but is in ruins with no signs of life, meaning he is the only one on the team originally from Vacuo.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Gonna Need A Bigger Boat**

 **Setting: Seaside Village**

On the request of Mr. Suit, the members of Team VRSZ were going to the supply route where his ships were sinking and intercept the mercenaries responsible. They arrived in a town where the supply ships were supposed dock since it was the closest area to the incidents. The village was small and it was mostly a small residence area. Violet left her team at a local restaurant to rent a boat to find the hired mercenaries. While she did this, her boys were buying themselves some of the seafood the eatery was known for. Silver got some grilled fish, Zelts got himself some shrimp, and Remus got a plate of clams which the others questioned.

"Clams?" Silver said and Remus nodded.

"Have you ever eaten clams?" Zelts asked.

"Uh-uh," Remus said while shaking his head no.

"Are you sure you're even gonna like them? Maybe you should exchange for shrimp like me." The boys sat back at their table and Remus quickly took a clam shell into his hand.

"I like trying new things," Remus took the mollusk and slurped the meat out of the shell. He quickly did the same with two more before actually tasting them. Silver and Zelts enjoyed watching his face slowly turn from joy to disgust. It was clear from his expression that Remus didn't like clams. He seemed to be struggling to keep the food in his mouth because he looked like he was going to throw up, but he reluctantly swallowed it. Remus had a small tear stream down his face. He looked at his plate then pushed it away. "Zelts, is it alright if I have some of your shrimp?"

"Sure." Zelts moved his plate between them so they could both enjoy. Silver recorded that moment on his scroll so he could share it with Violet and everyone else. When the three boys finished their meals and exited the restaurant, Violet was outside waiting for them to finish eating. "I rented us a boat. We're going," Violet told her boys.

"To fight some pirates?" Silver said with a little joy in his voice.

"Not technically pirates, but you can think of it like that if it makes you happy," Violet answered, happy to let him have the fantasy.

 **Setting: Vast Ocean**

The freelancers were on the small boat sailing along the supply route. Violet believed they would eventually meet up with the mercenaries if they stay on the supply route. The journey wasn't bad, except Remus was feeling nauseous from the clams he ate and the rocking of the boat only made him feel worse. Violet comforted him before telling him he needed to throw up the clams if he wanted to feel better. Remus did so, but he said he'd do it on the other side of the ship. He didn't want her to see him throw up. Zelts was at the front of the boat as he just looked at the scenic view of the ocean, a nice change from the ocean of sand he saw everyday in Fortuna. Silver sat in the boat's crow's nest to get a good look at all their surroundings. If anything showed up, he would let everyone know right away. An hour and a half on sea voyage, the team finally stumbled upon something. Silver saw a supply ship coming toward them from a distance and informed the others. Violet took command of the boat and went off course. Using her semblance, Violet made the small vessel and her teammates invisible, though the strain was a little taxing on her. The boat was small, but affecting large objects with Invisibility was a new trick and quite difficult for long periods of time. Out of sight, the team watched the ship for any sign of attack, but no mercenaries were seen. Zelts noticed something and told Violet to come over and look. The water around the ship began to move in an unnatural way before moving upward.

"Silver!" Violet called out as she pulled out several Enigmas. Silver jumped down next to Violet, grabbed her by the arm, and tossed her high in the air with Gravity before jumping the same distance. They were both above the ship and attacked the water. Violet threw her knives at the water, freezing them on impact, and Silver fired rounds from Fenrir doing the same. The frozen water fell into the sea while the supply ship's crew members hid from the attack. Violet and Silver landed on the supply ship and Violet called out to the hidden mercenaries. "Come out Turquoise. I know this is your handiwork."

Coming up on the side of the supply ship was the boat that Turquoise and Grayson were aboard. Both warriors heard Violet's voice and recognized her. "What is that bitch doing here?" Grayson asked which perplexed his partner in crime.

"What the- How do you about know her and VRSZ?" Turquoise asked him and he arched his eyebrow at her before saying, "They're the annoying bunch that get in my way every now and then. Guess you know them too."

"They're the reason I've been in prison for two years," Turquoise said as she balled her fists. The water around their ship began to ripple from her semblance and her anger. Grayson noticed this and swiftly took advantage of the situation.

"Now's a good time to get your revenge. Forget about the ship for now, go ahead and get even with those guys," Grayson said, but Turquoise didn't reply. She got into the water then created a wave for her to use as a platform and ride to the other boat. While she did that, Grayson sneered as he drew his broadsword. _"And while you distract them like a good decoy, I'll steal some of that cargo for myself,"_

Violet and Silver heard the rough waters and looked over in the direction Turquoise was coming from. She looked at the two with hatred in her eyes, and the duo looked at her with fortitude. This was Turquoise with home field advantage, the freelancers couldn't afford to hesitate or hold back, unless they want to be sent to a watery grave. Luckily for them, they had their own force of nature to counter the scorned woman and Violet capitalized on that when she beckoned him to come. "Zelts!"

Zelts appeared in front of the two freelancers in a cloud of smoke along with Remus jumping off his back. He swung his wingblades to let loose a burst of wind that was strong enough to rip apart Turquoise's small wave and knock her into the water, but she immediately got back up, creating two large spiraling towers of water at her side. Violet went into one of the pouches in her waist bag and pulled out a large cartridge of ice dust. She gave it to Zelts who incorporated it into his Heart of Gold. Turquoise sent both towers to the ship like spiraling drills to tear it apart, but Zelts unleashed a strong chilling wind that froze the enormous amount of water before it could reach the boat. The two newly formed icebergs fell into the ocean and sank.

"Zelts, she's all yours. Take her down. Remus, Silver, we're going to help keep her off balance and-" Violet stopped when she noticed a familiar broadsword stab into the side of the ship and Grayson, using the cable attached to his sword the reel himself to the supply ship. "Scratch that, this is a free-for-all. Go wild boys," Violet said as she turned her attention to her most detested adversary. Silver and Remus decided to help Zelts, who kept his eyes on Turquoise, who summoned more water to her side. Silver jumped off the boat, and with his semblance, he was able to stand and walk on the water like it was any normal foothold. He quickly switched the rounds in Fenrir, filling both guns with all ice dust. Every member of the team was all aware of Turquoise's inability to control ice so they prioritized on that, though she had an entire ocean at her disposal. Remembering what they could do, Turquoise erected a powerful wall of water around herself that quickly circled around her until she was inside an orb of water with a small airspace she resided in for oxygen. She altered the pressure of the water to be too dangerous and bone crushing for anyone to enter, then with a wave of her hand, sent a large torrent of water their way. Zelts released another wind blast that froze the water before it reached the boat. Remus used Checkpoint to teleport on the frozen ice and use it as a slide to reach Turquoise, Zelts cloaked himself in wind and flew above the ship. Silver was about to join, but he saw Grayson climb onto the supply ship and Violet running toward him. He wasn't going to let her fight him alone, but more importantly Silver was hoping to fight some pirates, and with Grayson's weapon and attitude, he was the closest thing to a pirate. Silver changed tactics and moved to join Violet. Zelts discharged a wind blast at the surface of the sea all around the right side of the ship, freezing a large surface area of the ocean he and Remus could use as a foothold. Grayson climbed onto the ship where most of the supplies were placed, but when he got there, he could already feel the presence of someone behind him. He quickly moved around with his sword to deflect an Enigma that fell in the water before exploding.

"Vi, you really are persistent. I hate persistance," Grayson said before throwing his sword at her. Violet moved out of the way, but Grayson used the sword's cable attached to his arm to pull him to where the sword landed. The momentum allowed Grayson to quickly reach Violet and clothesline her to the ground. He swiftly retrieved his sword and tried to cut her while she was down, but Silver intercepted by jumping in between them and used Fenrir in their escrima staff form to block the blade. His assist gave Violet enough time to get back up and kick Grayson in the gut to push him away. She looked at Silver and both freelancers knew to use their team attack, Thick As Thieves. Both freelancers lunged for the mercenary and attacked together. Violet used one of her dual daggers to attack Grayson, but he blocked with his sword. With his free hand, he pulled out one of his bombs from his jacket and was going to fall back to throw it in Violet's face, but Silver came from behind her. He used Gravity to lighten his weight and jumped on Violet's shoulders before jumping off again to strike Grayson from above with his escrima staffs, but missed when Grayson pulled back from the duo. He was about to throw his bomb and Violet was going to throw one of her Enigmas at him, but the sudden rocking of the ship stopped everyone's actions.

Turquoise was creating wave after wave to break the icy footing Zelts created for himself and Remus, but he kept creating more with his wingblades every time he moved. He knew this couldn't last forever because he will run out of ice dust and she won't run out of ocean anytime soon. Luckily he was buying time for Remus to charge Romulus in railgun mode. Instead of firing at the waves that she kept throwing at them, he fired at Turquoise and her orb of water. Turquoise brought forth more water to add to her defensive sphere, but the destructive power of charged shot proved too much as it blow the water apart, but it served its purpose by protecting its master as she was blown away hardly injured by the railgun blast. She quickly recovered, but she was angry about not killing any of them yet. Turquoise created a massive wave that towered over everything and it was large enough to easily capsize the supply boat and the team's small vessel in the distance.

While this was going on, the battle between Violet and Silver against Grayson moved on to the top of the ship's mast, where the trio balanced themselves as they fought for supremacy. Silver's Gravity made him a master of balance, so he was doing better than the others. He jumped over Grayson and attacked him from his back with his escrima sticks while Violet attacked from the front with her dagger. Thick As Thieves made it difficult for Grayson to fight both freelancers because defending or attacking one meant leaving himself open for the other and his aura slowly dwindling with every hit. Silver moved in to strike with both escrima sticks, but Grayson improvised by using his cable to block his attack then wrapped it around Silver's arms. Violet tried to slash him with her dagger, but he countered with his broadsword, though she still had a free arm and she used it to grab an ice Enigma to freeze him on the spot. Her action and any further actions by any of them were stopped because the massive wave Turquoise created was too large to disregard. They all stared at it in awe, though Grayson stopped gawking first. Seeing as how his partner in crime was getting too into her vendetta, it made Turquoise a liability he didn't want to deal with anymore. Even though he liked powerful allies, he liked money and living more. He used this moment not to attack the two freelancers, but to jump off the mast and land near the cargo's location. He found an assortment of dust, high-tech weapons, rare gemstones, and other items he could use or sell on the black market. He put most of the dust and gemstones in his pockets and strapped two of the best looking weapons to his back before running to the end of the ship. Violet noticed that he was gone once she stopped looking at the massive, incoming wave. She saw him use his broadsword to connect to his ship and sail away to save his own skin and abandon Turquoise, but she didn't care what the coward did because of the tidal wave that threatened her boys, herself, and every passenger on the ship. Violet's priorities changed from fighting Grayson to saving everyone's skin.

"Silver!" she shouted and he shifted Fenrir into dual handgun form. Both of them off the mast and into the air with their weapons at the ready while Remus and Zelts were on the icy battlefield with the exact same thought in mind. Zelts repeatedly swung his wingblades to release a plethora of freezing wind that froze a large portion of the wave. He was able to freeze up the large tidal wave at its foundation, but he used up the rest of his ice dust and the massive amount of water falling from above still threatened to destroy the ship. Violet threw ice Enigmas and Silver fired shot after shot of ice rounds to freeze the water in its place. Violet finished the job by freezing the last of the wave as it stood as a beautiful marvel on the oceanic battlefield, but she was ready to bring it down. When she and Silver jumped off the mast, Silver purposely let Violet jump higher than him and slowed his descent for this next move. Violet landed on Silver's arm, causing her body to be affected by Silver's Gravity, making her body almost weightless. Silver hurled his arm to launch his leader high in the air, getting her directly above the frozen wave and a good view of Turquoise, who was ready to do the same move again until she saw Violet in the air. She pulled out a large amount of Enigmas and used her aura to activate the dust inside them, causing them to crackle and surge with lightning. She threw all of them down on the wave-shaped iceberg like she hurled a large lightning bolt. The tremendous lightning strike drove down the middle of the ice, breaking through and splitting it into two smaller ice structures that began to sink into the ocean, but Violet didn't let it end there, she needed to stop Turquoise from creating another wave.

"Go to town Remus!"

Turquoise was ready to create an even bigger wave as the previous one came apart before her eyes. On the other side of ice wave was Remus, who looked at Turquoise and they stared at each other, but only for a few seconds because Turquoise blinked and he was gone. She felt swords slash at her back as she turned around to see Remus behind her with Romulus in twin sword form. He teleported again to slice at her aura again and again, leaving her unbalanced at first before raising and surrounding herself with a wall of water. The force of the water hit Remus, pushing him back and forcing him away from the blue-green haired woman who wanted some distance before attacking again. She used the tower of water to shot out small volleys of water from every direction to indiscriminately wallop anyone in the vicinity. Zelts used his shield to protect himself from the water projectiles and Silver stood behind him for cover. Their defensive move was working, but the bullets of water were breaking through their icy foothold which looked like it could give at any moment. The large supply ship was being pelted as well, but the steel ship wasn't in any danger of sinking, but each water blast bent and dented the ship alot. Remus wasn't as fortunate because he was swimming in the water while teleporting several times to dodge the water balls, but he was hit every now and then by the overwhelming number. He was hit again, knocking him into the water and another hit him in the face, pushing him underwater. Finally realizing he wasn't getting any leeway and to avoid drowning, Remus teleported to Violet, who just landed in the water after the effects of Gravity finally ceased. He grabbed her by the hand and teleported to the ship's deck for safety. Violet saw Turquoise's blind fury assault wasn't going to stop. Turquoise was defending herself with a spiraling tower of rushing water while firing an endless barrage of water bullets, allowing her to attack and defend. Violet pulled out two Enigmas from her bag as two water blasts were heading toward her. She was ready to end this.

"Remus! Disrupt!"

Remus activated Checkpoint and teleported inside the spiraling water tower even though he couldn't see Turquoise from the outside. When he made it inside, seeing Turquoise just below him. She was too focused on keeping Hydrokinesis active to look up or notice his presence. It wasn't until he landed on top of her and they both disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke. Losing her connection to the water caused the liquid tower to collapse, but not before the two, large, water bullets made their way to Violet with a knife in each hand. When the first reached her, she stabbed it with her Enigma and activated the dust in the hilt, freezing her arm and water on impact and she did the same thing with the second ball of water. This covered her arms and fists in ice like clubs as Remus teleported to the ship's deck with Turquois landing beside him. The minute the water controlling women got up, Violet dashed toward her with her icy fist reeled back before she punched her in the face. She kept punching her again and again, witling away at Turquoise's aura and chunks of ice breaking off her arms. Zelts and Silver climbed onto the ship's deck to witness the one-sided battle and were deciding whether to stay out of this or help Turquoise because Violet wasn't letting up. The unrelenting beatdown left Turquoise helpless, unable to focus her semblance and use the water for offense or defense. She used every moment to bring water aboard the ship, but each punch Violet delivered broke her control, as soon as a small stream of water tried to make its way to the deck, a solid punch from Violet stopped Turquoise and the water fell back into the sea.

One more punch from Violet broke through Turquoise's aura and the last of the ice on her right arm, leaving it exposed and chilling. Turquoise was hurt badly and on her back, but she got up to fight off her aggressor and get back into the water. With the fight already decided, Violet stopped her onslaught to see what her foe would do next. It didn't take long for Turquoise to retaliate as she brought a whip of water to the deck and strike Violet in the eyes to blind her and buy herself time to return to the ocean. However, Violet was much quicker than the water as she weaved out of the way of the fast-moving water attack and quickly stepped into Turquoise's personal space before she could even think about getting anywhere near the ocean. Turquoise was too tired and slow to stop Violet from landing the final blow, an uppercut to her jaw with her frozen left hand. The powerful blow lifted Turquoise four feet in the air before falling to the ground unconscious, including shattering the last of the ice on Violet's arm. With Turquoise defeated and Grayson leaving her to protect his own life, Team VRSZ was successful with safeguarding the supply ship, though the vessel was badly damaged, but their objective was to stop the mercenaries, not keep the boat in mint condition.

"So, we win?" Remus asked for clarification.

"Yeah, the mission has been accomplished. Now we just have to make sure this ship makes it to the town then we report back to Mr. Suit," Violet answered as she checked her hair to make sure it didn't get wet.

"…What about her? We can't leave her in the middle of the ocean, and if she wakes up, she'll probably still be hostile," Zelts said as he looked to an unconscious Turquoise. Violet didn't like the woman, but she wasn't heartless enough to let her drown, so she thought of an idea.

 **Setting: Seaside Village**

Finally regaining consciousness, Turquoise opened her eyes to see something or someone next to her. She learned that the thing sitting next to her was a person, Zelts Allister to be exact. He was sitting next to her, legs folded with his arms on his legs and eyes closed. He was meditating based on his rhythmic breathing. She saw her moment to strike, but her body wouldn't move, except for her head and the sudden freezing chill all over her body. She looked down to see her whole body was encased in ice save her head, so she couldn't escape, cause mayhem, or use her semblance with her hands stuck.

"I see you're back with us. How are you feeling?" he asked with concern that Turquoise thought was sarcasm. She refused to answer, but the cold of the ice covering her body made her head shiver, something Zelts noticed. He got up from his sitting position and reached for his Heart of Gold attached to his back. He bashed the shield against the ice, causing it to shatter without harming Turquoise's body. He gave her his hand to help her up, but she got up on her own once the chilling in her spine finally ceased.

"What the hell is this? Where are we?" she asked a little agitated, but Zelts didn't seem to mind her tone.

"We're at the destination of the ships you destroyed. Even though we're enemies, we couldn't let you drown in the ocean, so Violet decided to bring you back with us. She sailed our ship back with the supply ship while I stay and try to talk to you."

"Talk to me? About what?"

"Ending any bad blood between us. Coming to some form of truce. I hope we can resolve this peacefully because," Zelts pointed to the supply ship's crow's nest and Turquoise looked at Silver aiming at her with Fenrir in sniper form. Zelts wanted to discuss this peacefully, but he was no fool. If Silver thought she was a threat to him, he would fire right then and there. Seeing she was pinned, Turquoise chose to humor the brown-haired man.

"You expect me to leave you guys alone?"

"Yes, we're freelancers not the police nor huntsmen. We were only ordered to stop your supply blockade and nothing more, so you don't have to worry about us arresting you like last time."

"Last time, you had me and my Ghost taken down. Based on our past encounter, I find it hard to trust you," Turquoise said. She saw no reason to trust them at all. She thought that them bringing her along was just a ploy to get on her good side for this negotiation. Some way, somehow, she planned on getting away from this team of people that kept bringing her misfortune. Zelts realized that Turquoise still believed Ghost was her subordinate. She never found out that he was a double agent working for Clair and Zelts used her lack of knowledge to his advantage.

"Actually, Ghost is a friend of ours now," Zelts looked over her after he said that and he noticed that she looked very surprised. He continued with his little lie saying, "After everything that happened, we were able to bury the hatchet with Ghost and became good friends in the process. He even wants us to get along." Zelts didn't feel great about lying. He knew that Ghost hated Turquoise a lot and didn't want to see her ever again, but Zelts needed a way to persuade her. Luckily for him, something in their recent fight could turn her to their side.

"Not only that, but your recent partner in crime abandoned you when the fight got out of hand." Turquoise jerked her head to him when he said that. She looked to the ground, refusing to meet his eyes because he was right. Grayson left her to make sure he'd survive and didn't care what happened to his so-called partner. In the end, she couldn't rely on him and she no longer had any allies, well, there was one person extending a hand in friendship right in front of her. Zelts was willing to let go of past aggression to form some kind of armistice. They were offering to let her go, and after all the criminal activity and imprisonment, she definitely wasn't going back to prison, so the only option she had was a neutral relationship with Team VRSZ.

"Alright, you got yourself a deal. As long as you guys won't send me back to prison, I'll play nice. No more crime for me, this girl is going straight," Turquoise stretched her body as she spoke, extending her arms above her shaved head. When she finished, she looked to Zelts before saying, "well, as straight as I can get. Don't expect a complete 180 from me, but you won't hear any bad things anymore." Turquoise walked over to the side of the ship's deck that was near the village's pier and was ready to jump off.

"Will you be okay going off by yourself? With no food or Lien? I'm sure we can help you start over," Zelts offered, earning a small grin from the girl. She looked over to Silver, who was lowering his weapon, no longer viewing her as a potential threat. They really meant it about leaving her alone.

"Aw, how sweet of you, but I'll be fine. There's actually a place near the beach I found ever since I was liberated from prison. I think it'll be the perfect new home, just have to do some pest control before I can call it home. Good bye." And with that, Turquoise jumped off the ship and walked away. Next to the supply ship was the small vessel Team VRSZ used to venture out to sea, Violet appeared from inside the ship and jumped up to the supply ship to talk with Zelts.

"Are you sure about this? I usually listen to you when it comes to certain decisions, but this one seems a little too risky," Violet said concerned about Turquoise being a problem in the future. Silver jumped off the ship's mast and landed near the other two before walking up to them. Zelts gave them a smile to show he stood by his choice.

"I am, and if she doesn't change, I'll take responsibility and be the one to deal with her," Zelts answered.

"I'm cool with that," Silver said, being his usual slacker self, but Violet was quick to elbow him in his side. She wasn't going to let Zelts take this burden even if he felt responsible.

"We'll deal with her together. No one's doing anything dangerous, reckless, or stupid on their own. We do stupid things as a team."

"…Hmm. Very well," Zelts said with a satisfied look before saying "How about returning home and telling Mr. Suit he doesn't have to worry about his ships sinking anymore?"

"Alright, I'll get Remus," Violet said as she walked to get off the vessel, but Silver stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder. He had a devilish smile on his face and Violet could tell whatever he was going to say couldn't be good. Past experiences with the boy has proven it.

"Oh, he's already off the ship. Said he had a score to settle with a certain restaurant's mollusks." Silver's words were met with dread. They were very aware that Remus didn't enjoy the taste of clams, in fact he threw up a few short hours after eating them. Why he was going back for more was beyond Violet's and Zelts' comprehension. Actually, Violet thinks Silver may have had a hand in this, probably telling him clams are an acquired taste, just to play a prank on him again. Unfortunately for him, Violet planned for Silver to wash away any barf that gets on the car as a form of punishment. After reclaiming a now woozy Remus, Team VRSZ drove back home to collect their pay.

 **Setting: Grayson's Beach Base**

Hours after the battle on the ocean, Grayson was trying his best to fend for himself as countless torrents of water were jumping out of the ocean and attacking him relentlessly. Turquoise was on the beach as well, firing stream after stream of water his way. She wanted revenge for being abandoned and she was going to get it by claiming this place as her own. Grayson was aware that she the location of this place, but he also thought she was arrested and back in prison after giving her up to Team VRSZ. Unfortunately for him, the water whippings he received before he vacated the premises proved him wrong. Luckily for him, he stashed all the cargo he stole into another of his many hidden bases in Vacuo. Losing this one was a pain in the ass, but he had no choice. After getting out of Turquoise's attack range, Grayson was finally able to slow down and catch his breath. He had some bruises here and there, but nothing he couldn't walk away from. There was nothing else for him to do but leave.

Turquoise entered the abandoned makeshift base and had a look around. There wasn't much in here but a bedroom, small kitchen, and living room, but she smiled. She walked out to the beach and walked close enough to the water that when the waves made it to shore, they reach and surrounded her feet. This place was so much better than a gritty old prison cell. _"This could work,"_

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

The freelancers return home and reported to their client about the success of their mission. Mr. Suit was all too happy to hear that his business was no longer in danger. He paid the team the promised 25,000 Lien and added an extra 5,000 because he was in a good mood, giving the team a reason to be in a good mood, except for Remus, who was feeling a bit queasy. After getting paid, the team made it back home. The first one to enter the base was Zelts with a sick Remus. He wrapped his young friend's arm over his shoulder as he dragged him to the sectional couch to lay down. Remus groaned as his stomach was upsetting him greatly. Zelts sat down next to him, looking at the poor state his friend was in.

"You shouldn't have eaten five more of those things if you knew they didn't agree with you," Zelts scolded, but it came from a good place. "At least you threw it all up, so you'll feel better soon."

Violet and Silver were outside the base working on the Fantasia. More like Silver was washing the vomit off the side and Violet was watching him with a stern look in her eyes. Silver groaned and complained the whole time, but Violet kept reminding him it was his fault for telling Remus that clams were an acquired taste. "Stop bitching, keep washing. I want to see Fantasia spotless when you're done," Violet said as she counted the Lien she and the team earned. Silver grumbled, but kept working because he knew Violet wouldn't let up.

After he was done, Violet took the car to the bank to store 25,000 Lien while she kept the remaining 5,000 back at the base for the team's use, the same thing she does after getting paid for every successful mission. When she returned, she saw that Remus was still resting on the couch by himself, so she walked up and sat down next to his head. The sinking of the couch from her action woke him up as he looked up at her, no longer with a nauseated expression. She grinned and looked down at his face. "Better?" Remus nodded at her question.

"What have we learned?" she asked playfully.

"…No more clams?" Remus answered though he wasn't sure if it was what she was fishing for, but based on the smile she flashed, he got it right.

"Good boy." Violet lightheartedly placed a hand on his head. She did this for a couple of seconds before telling him to go brush her teeth because his breath smelled of barf. She reached for the TV remote and turning it then she flipped through channels to watch nonsense. The day ended when every member gathered on the couch to watch a marathon of Kung-Fu movies while gorging on a whole carton of ice cream. One by one, they all fell asleep on the couch.

Two days later, Turquoise was at her base, waking up then walking out to the beach to enjoy the sight she never got tired of seeing. Finishing her view of the morning light dancing on the ocean waters, she returned to her base, but noticed something on the door, an envelope taped to the door. She pulled it off and opened, surprised to see a large amount of Lien inside, at least 2,000, along with a note. She pulled it out and read it. Turquoise couldn't help but smirk.

 _"_ _Here's a little something to help you get started. Hope it helps."_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Team VRSZ_

* * *

 **Violet really wanted to end this battle quickly because she was in the middle of the ocean fighting against someone that could control water. Her main objective was stopping Turquoise, but she also didn't want to get any salt water in her hair and cause her purple dye to run. Originally, Violet was going to drop Turquoise off at some prison, but changed her mind when Zelts suggested otherwise on the way back to the village. When it comes to fighting against enemies, Violet could be described as stern and unforgiving.**

 **Grayson may have lost his base and partnership with Turquoise, but it was still a victory for him. He kept all the money from the successful string of ship sinking and the valuable items from the ship's cargo will prove useful and worth something on the black market.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'd like to make a shoutout to ArchSinccubus and their story; JPLL. Only got through the first volume so far, but I'm already loving the story and characters so far, especially Jin. She's entertaining and this is a very interesting OC Team story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Ransom**

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

It was early in the afternoon in Fortuna and the day went by fairly easy for Team VRSZ. No missions, no bounties, nothing for them to do but enjoy the day, well, not really. There were only two freelancers in the base and they were at each other's throats, a usual thing for this pair. Violet was yelling at Silver for playing video games in the living room before doing his chore for the week, cleaning the dirty dishes in the sink. It wouldn't have been a real problem for her, but it was because he skipped doing them last time when it was his turn for the exact same reason and she wasn't having it again. Silver ignored her at first, but that only made things worse when she walked up and disconnected the game. Their argument got loud and stupid until it escalated to actual fighting, but not the ass-kicking type they do on missions, this was sibling fighting which included headlocks, pinching, tumbling, and pinning the other to the ground. Silver was pulling Violet by her jacket while she successfully pushed him to the ground. She pinned him down by sitting on his stomach and started pulling both his cheeks and he placed his hand on her face, trying to push her off.

"Crazy she-devil, get off me!" Silver shouted before Violet hooked the side of his mouth with her finger.

"Then do your job and clean the dishes, you lazy bastard! Do it now!" Violet retorted.

The pinning changed when Silver used Gravity to lighten Violet and quickly turned his body to the left, causing her to fall over. The pseudo siblings were now tumbling and rolling along the floor until they reached near the kitchen. Violet stood up with Silver in a head lock as he tried to break free of her iron grip, she was very determined to set him straight. She was starting to hurt him, so he finally gave up by tapping out. Five minutes later, Zelts entered the base with several shopping bags in his hands. He saw Violet sitting on the sofa while writing in her notebook and Silver in the kitchen doing the dishes. He immediately noticed that the scene wasn't right. The game console was ungracefully disconnected from the TV the small table in the living room looked like it was moved from its original positions, not to mention Violet and Silver were out of sorts. Their hair was ruffled, their clothes were messed up, and there seemed to be traces of sweat on their faces. Knowing these two for quite some time, Zelts already knew they were fighting over something and he guessed Violet won this round, based on the fact that Silver was silent.

"Finally got Silver to do the dishes, huh?" Zelts said as he walked into the base. Violet looked at him with a triumphant smirk. Silver mumbled something in the kitchen, but no one could hear him. Violet's smile faded when she noticed something missing on his person, or more accurately, someone. "Zelts, where's Remus?"

"He's was with me when we were shopping and decided to go to the Bazaar. He had some extra Lien in his wallet, so he's there browsing. He'll probably show up sooner or later." Zelts walked to the kitchen to place and sort everything he bought. Violet thought if Remus would be alright, but that thought went away immediately because she knew he could definitely hold his own against any threat, except maybe swindlers, but she thought it would be harmless and a good learning experience.

An hour passed and there was still no sign of Remus. Silver finished doing the dishes, so he continued where he left off and began playing video games in the living room. Now that he was finished, Violet joined him as well as they played a racing game with Silver currently ahead of his leader. Zelts was outside the base, training and meditating in the front yard with his robe of, showing off his muscular body that many onlookers enjoyed when they walked by. He was in the middle of meditation when a thought crossed his mind; Where was Remus? He should've been back by now. The Bazaar was located where the outskirts used to be before the reconstruction, but Remus should've been home by now, not to mention Remus' Checkpoint combined with his familiarity with Fortuna lets him teleport back home from any location within the city-town. Despite the fact Zelts was the most masculine male member of Team VRSZ, he was a mother hen that looked out for his teammates. Deciding to finish his training, much to the displeasure of his female audience, Zelts got up and went inside to see his teammates.

"I'm worried about Remus. I think he might be lost," Zelts said with concern in his voice and on his face. Neither Silver nor Violet looked at him because they were neck and neck in their racing battle for first place. It didn't seem like either of them were paying attention, especially Silver, who was so engrossed with the game, he responded to Zelts with a stupid question.

"Uhhhhhh, is he the one with the jaw beard and the shield?"

"No, that's me…forget it. Violet, help me," Zelts pleaded. Violet turned to him to give him her full attention, which meant giving up on the race and letting Silver take first place. Despite her friend's concern, Violet didn't see a problem with Remus being out for so long.

"I understand how you feel, but Remus is a big boy. I mean when we first met him, he couldn't fend for himself in the real world, but he's more than capable of looking after himself."

"Yeah, remember, Remus was made for combat. He's basically a living weapon. If anything, I feel sorry for anyone that tries to attack him. Seriously, if the good doctor kept experimenting on him, Remus would be a weapon of mass destruction. And he can teleport home whenever he-"

On the living room table, Violet's scroll started going when Silver was still speaking. She moved up to reach for her device and looked at the contact calling her. She smiled when she saw it was Remus' scroll calling her and picked it up. "See, he's fine. Nothing to lose our-" She stopped mid-sentence and her smile turned into a stern frown. "Who is this?"

Her words alarmed Zelts while Silver stopped playing his game to glance in her direction. Violet took the scroll from against her ear and started doing other things with it while the voice on the line continued talking. "You're Violet, right? Leader of Team VRSZ, the freelancers?" the distorted voice asked. Just from asking that question, Violet knew what this person wanted.

"My men and I have your teammate, Remus Cobalt, captive. If you don't give in to our deman- request…I mean demands, you'll never see him again." Violet arched her eyebrow then her expression calmed down. The hesitance and indecisiveness in whoever's voice was speaking to her gave Violet everything she needed to know that this kidnapper was very inexperienced with hostage situations.

"You've captured Remus," she said in a slightly sarcastic tone that Silver and Zelts noticed while she continued, "that's an incredibly impressive feat. Pray tell, how were you able to capture and contain someone whose semblance allows him to teleport with just a thought?" Violet asked with a side of playfulness she couldn't hide.

"Uhhh h-he can teleport? Um…w-we are experts! Yeah, specialists at capturing huntsmen with rare and powerful abilities. Your friend was no exception."

"You still didn't answer my question, Mr. Expert. How did you capture him?"

"Uhhhhhh…I don't have to disclose our secrets to you, we're the ones making the demands!" his frantic response made Violet's day. These guys were amateurs, rookies, small time crooks that saw an opportunity and struck with knowing the consequences. He continued to bury himself in a deeper hole when he continued speaking.

"If you want to see your teammate again, then meet us in the Bazaar with 5,000,000 Lien. We'll exchange Remus for the money there, agreed?" the man asked instead of demanded like a real kidnapper would and meeting for the exchange was a stupid move. This couldn't have been easier, but she looked at Zelts who still seemed worried, so she asked the obvious question.

"Alright, you got a deal, but I want to speak to Remus. Get on the phone, now," Violet demanded like she was the real kidnapper. She heard the man fumble around before he brought the phone to her friend.

"Hey Vi, how you doing?" Remus asked without a care in the world which meant he was in zero danger. She and her team knew Remus would get serious if he thought his life or someone else's was in danger. Knowing that he was perfectly fine, Violet saw no reason to rescue him.

I'm fine. My day has been alright. I got into a small fight with Silver, but nothing serious." She continued to speak to him in a friendly manner, like the whole kidnapping situation was nonexistent.

"I hope it wasn't anything serious. I don't like it when you guys fight all the time."

"Don't worry, it wasn't about anything important. Remus, could you tell me how you were- I mean how you found these people."

"Oh, when I was in the Bazaar, they were asking around about what was really expensive and they asked me. I told them a lot of stuff for sale was pretty good, but they said they needed help find the most expensive item. I said if they need help they could've hired us. I told them all about our job as freelancers and the money we make, then they asked if I could come with them to their base and I said yes," Remus explained and it didn't bewilder Violet at all. She was very used to some remnants of his childish naivete showing every now and then. While talking to her friend, Violet finished what she was doing on her scroll and smirked.

"Okay, I understand. I'm guessing they have you tied up?"

"Yeah, but they said it's a game. I'll be home soon." The sound of his voice showed he was very confident with his statement, despite the kidnappers around him looking upset or confused with how this ransom was turning out. Violet decided to end the conversation with a word of advice.

"Remus, I'm hanging up now, but there's something I need to tell you; These people are bad guys. Do with them as you will. Have fun!" Violet hung up before the man she was talking to could say anything.

Violet put her phone away and continued playing video games with Silver, who complied and they continued what they were doing like nothing happened. The only one who was confused by their nonchalant behavior was Zelts.

"Violet, what happened with Remus!?" he shouted, finally fed up with her weird conversation.

"He's fine, just got into a little mishap with some substandard punks. He'll be back once he's done playing," Violet said as she reached for her phone a second time.

"How do you know that? For all we know he might be in danger and-" Violet tossed her scroll to Zelts and he caught it then looked at the screen. On her scroll was a GPS with a map of Fortuna and a blue delta sign in some location.

"That scroll is a gift from Dr. Lupa remember? I don't like her, but for once she pulled through. This thing is connected to Remus' delta symbol. It'll automatically let out a distress signal that the scroll can trace, but I can trace him whenever, just like I did in the middle of the conversation. They aren't that far away, so you can go get him if you want, but he'll be upset that you spoiled his fun." Violet smirked when she said that last part.

"Fun?" Zelts thought, confused what she meant. He didn't know how Remus could have fun being kidnapped.

 **Setting: Unknown Warehouse**

Inside a warehouse somewhere in Fortuna, nine crooks were soliciting the building with Remus, tied up while sitting on a chair. One of the men was holding a scroll, the one who made the ransom, and he was very frustrated that Violet hung up on him. Remus looked to his right to see one of the crooks holding onto Romulus to keep it out of his reach. This wasn't going the way they planned. They thought the freelancers would give anything to get a comrade back, but the freelancers aren't a regular team. Their actions could not be predicted, Violet abandoning Remus was a very good example. Remus remembered what Violet told him about these guys and how she basically told him to do whatever he wants with them, something he planned to enjoy.

"H-hello, hello! Dammit!" The man threw his scroll to the ground, breaking it, and turned to his cohorts screaming, "WHAT DO WE DO NOW!"

"I-I don't know!? This was your idea!" one of them said in response.

His friends shrugged their shoulders because none of them have done this before. The rookies were almost ready to give up now that their get rich quick scheme went up in smoke. Speaking of smoke, a sudden burst of blue smoke appeared out of nowhere, surrounding the men. They coughed, wheezed, and covered their eyes before the smoke dissipated. Looking around, all of them noticed nothing was different until one of them shouted, "Hey! Where'd the kid go!?"

The chair Remus was tied down to was empty. The ropes and duct tape were on the ground, but there was no sign of their captive. This wasn't the predicament the kidnappers thought they'd be in. Because of their horrible mindset, they lacked weapons, except for the crook calling the shots, wielding an assault rifle, and the one holding onto Remus' weapon, but that didn't last long. When all the crooks searched the entire warehouse for their escaped captive, the one holding Romulus looked around near the door, but in a puff of smoke, Remus appeared in front of him. The man tried to scream, but Remus covered his mouth and teleported away with the man in tow with the others unaware of what happened. Two crooks were walking together in a maze of crates to watch each other's back, but they weren't prepared for the surprise of something falling from the sky and crashing into a nearby crate. They shouted then looked over at the wreckage to see the thing that fell was their teammate, the one that was holding Romulus, was unconscious.

"Ummm…boss?" one of them shouted, but no one answered him. The other looked around to see find out what did this to his partner and something was quickly coming toward them. In a mere moment, a black and blue blur charged at the men, taking one of the crooks with it as it ran out of sight. The remaining man was freaking out as he didn't know what could be doing this. A Grimm, a demon, he didn't know as fear overwhelmed him and he panickily screamed. It helped that the other men ran to his aid, but it didn't help when the lights, high above the ceiling, were going out one by one. Once the final light was snuffed out, a laugh could be heard echoing throughout the entire building and it was unnerving for the band of so-called thieves. To make matters worse, suddenly, balls of blue light started raining down from above, blasting and destroying the crates near the group of crooks. The men were completely consumed by fear as they scrambled about the area, bumping into unknown objects and two getting hit by one of Romulus' railgun energy bolts, knocking them out or in too much pain to move.

While this was going on, Zelts opened the doors to the warehouse with Violet's scroll in his hand with the tracer app on the screen. He was about to assist his friend, but he saw what was going on. The kidnappers screaming and crying with Remus somewhere in the building having a grand old time and Zelts smiled. He realized Violet was right, Remus didn't need help against these people. Seeing no reason to be here, Zelts closed the door and left to return home. With five men remaining, Remus ceased using his railgun and teleported to the ground. The crook holding the gun decided to let loose a barrage of bullets that indiscriminately attacked everything, including his own teammates, who ducked to the ground to avoid the blind assault the best they could. Luckily, he didn't hit any of his men or Remus, who stayed far out of his attack range. The man kept firing until his assault rifle ran out of bullets. Out of ammo, the man decided there was only one course of action, forget all reason and run like a chicken without a head. His men copied him and Remus just attacked them all. Remus teleported to one crook and grabbed his arm, keeping the man from scrambling throughout the area, then threw him across the warehouse into the wall, crashing into it, dislocating an arm, and rendering him unconscious. Two were running side by side until Remus teleported in between them and kicked both of them, one with an uppercut to the jaw and the other was hit when Remus brought his foot down on the back of his head. Hitting them both hard enough to knock them out with one strike, leaving only one foe remaining.

The leader of the kidnappers dashed straight for the direction where the door was supposed to be, but he could hardly tell with the warehouse being completely dark. Two blue lights began to shine to the coward's left then same light, looking light shining blades, launched themselves toward the man who flinched out of fear. He was unharmed, but the glowing twin swords sliced the assault rifle out of his hand and launched it into the air. Now that the crook was closer to Remus, he could make out his shape in the dark, but the thing that caught his attention was his eyes. The golden amber of his eyes in the dark made him seem mysterious and intimidating, but moment passed when Remus jumped in the air to where the rifle was. He used Romulus to cut and slash at the weapon with streaks of blue light following the motions of his swords before he ceased his action. He fell to the ground in front of the crook and the sliced pieces of the assault rifle followed suit, leaving the crook and his men completely defenseless. Remus brought one of his swords up to the man's face so they could get a good look at each other, Remus triumphantly smiling and the man sweating nonstop with a timid look.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Violet and Silver were still having their video game competition while Remus was kidnapped. Zelts just entered the base with a satisfied look on his face. Violet glanced at him and smirked when she saw he came back alone. He understood why she didn't rush over to save Remus herself, something she would've done if he was in any real danger, but it wasn't the case today. In fact, before either of them could say anything to each other, Violet's scroll ringed again with Remus' number on the screen. Zelts handed the scroll back to Violet, who picked it up and answered with, "Hello?"

"Hey Violet," Remus said in a jolly tone that made Violet smile on the other end.

"Hey Remus, are you having fun?"

"Yeah I am. Listen, the man who took me wants a word with you. Is that alright?" he asked and Violet was surprised. She knew Remus wouldn't kill them, but she didn't expect him to leave them conscious. She told him it was alright and she waited for the other guy to answer. The got his hand on Remus' scroll and he sounded like he was trying his best to either catch his breath or calm himself, though Violet didn't care about his well-being in the slightest. Her curt question was a dead giveaway about her disdain for him.

"What the hell do you want?" she asked, tone switched from kind to harsh in an instant.

"Uhhh…" the man was having a hard time trying to say what he wanted to say.

"Tell me what you want, gutless wannabe, or I'll tell Remus to cut you to ribbons," Violet demanded and the man finally spoke up.

"W-We would like to change our demands. You don't need to pay us for getting your friend back, no ransom or anything. Just head to the Bazaar, take him back, and you'll never hear from us again. I promise, jus-just, take him away from us." The man sounded very frantic and Violet couldn't help but snicker. It only got funnier when she put her scroll on speaker mode for Silver and Zelts to hear. Silver was trying to muffle his giggles and Zelts was smiling while looking down to prevent himself from laughing too loud. Before Violet could answer back, Silver got up and whispered something in her ear and she smirked in a devilish fashion similar to Silver's.

"What do we get for taking him?" she asked and the man was confused.

What do you get? This a hostage situation! You don't get anything but your friend!"

"It seems to me that you and your friends are the hostages, so you better pay up if you want me to call off Remus. How much money do you fools have? Give us that." Violet just proved to the man on the line that she was the one calling the shoots now. The failure of a crook was silent as realized how everything went wrong. All the thoughts swirling through his head irritated him and he was beginning to seethe with anger. Violet got impatient when the man refused so she said, "Give Remus all your money and he'll go away. Are we clear?" Violet said for clarification, but what she got as a response surprised her, the team, and the man who said it.

"Up yours, bitch!"

Violet was caught completely off-guard by the man's remark. She was actually impressed that he had the stones to actually say it, despite the situation he was in. Before she, Silver, or Zelts could say anything, they heard a loud smack sound followed by someone grunting in pain and falling to the ground, along with the scroll. She waited for a response and got one.

"Are you okay Violet? That guy said something he shouldn't have." he said sounding apologetic, making Violet smile at his kindness. Silver and Zelts actually expected this outcome because they knew Remus very well. Despite being a battle-oriented person, Remus was very empathetic when it comes to the feelings of others.

"I'm fine, but you were right to knock him out. Since this ransom has come to an end, I need you to do something for me. Take the wallets and all the Lien from the kidnapper and any of his friends. Use Checkpoint to get back home once you're done." Once Violet heard confirmation from Remus' end of the scroll, she hung up and waited. She looked at Zelts with a smirk before saying, "And you thought he couldn't handle himself."

Zelts lifted his arms and said, "I stand corrected. He isn't the same kid he was when we first met him. He's…matured."

"Yup, our boy's all grown-" Remus teleported into the base when Silver was talking. In his hands were nine wallets and a couple Lien that he placed on the table. Silver got up from his position on the floor to check out the haul. He opened every wallet and pulled out anything valuable, which was mostly more Lien. He threw all the wallets and I.D.s in the trash and counted all the Lien, realizing Remus brought home at least 348 Lien. Not a whole lot by the freelancer's standards, but money none the less.

"Meh, pocket change. They didn't really have a lot, but what can you expect from riff-raff," Silver said as he placed the Lien back on the table. Violet picked it up and put it all in her wallet. She glanced at Silver and retorted, "Says the prince of riff-raff. Anyway, you did a good job handling them Remus. Actually, as a good well done, you can keep all the money you looted."

"Nice," Remus said as Violet handed him the money, much to Silver's dismay and Violet's delight at his dismay. Zelts was very impressed with his younger friend's abilities and that Violet was correct when she told him Remus didn't need to be coddled anymore. Remus didn't need to be protected all the time, but as the shield of the freelancers, Zelts would be there for him, like he would for every member of his team.

 **Setting: Warehouse**

All the kidnappers Remus toyed with were knocked out or in too much pain to get up. The leader of the group, the one Remus actually punched for bad-mouthing Violet, opened his eyes only to day one thing, "Owww."

* * *

 **Remus is the most difficult member of the team to contain. His running speed is above human capabilites, thanks to Lupa' experimentations and guidance, and his semblance allows him to teleport out of tough situations. He can even teleport to areas even if they aren't in his line of sight, but that's not always a good thing. Since he can't see where he's teleporting, he doesn't know if something harmful is on the other side, so it's like a double-edged sword. Blindfolding him is an effective way to cripple him, but he could still teleport, he'll just have no idea where he's going.**

 **Despite his abilities in battle, Remus is pretty bad at certain regular day things like cooking, which is why Silver either bans him from cooking or supervises so he doesn't burn anything. Another thing he can't do is drive a car, something that confounds his friends because he's good with technology. His friends even tried teaching him, but his driving was chaotic and left his fellow passengers terrified. None of the other members tried to teach him again. Even though Remus is the only member of the team with horrible driving skills, none of them have a license, including Violet, who had a car before meeting her teammates.**

 **The story of Team VRSZ is happening during different time compared to RWBY. Origin, Volume 1, 2, & 3 happened before RWBY Volume 1, and because of the time skip, Volumes 4 & 5 are happeneing around RWBY Volume 4.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: The Greatest Bodyguard**

 **Setting: Concordia**

Three people were currently sitting in the office of Clair de Lune Vantablack. The monarch of Fortuna, Clair de Lune Vantablack herself, one of her confidants and Ghost's sister, Bianca, and the shield of the freelancers, Zelts Allister, who felt a little uncomfortable under the gaze of the two young women. He honestly thought this was a weird bunch of people to be together in one room, not that he was complaining. Clair called for a freelancer job and specifically asked for Zelts. Based on the previous times she has called for him, he was guessing that she wanted him to play knight again and protect her on her leisure stroll or actually guard her on some kind of business trip.

"I'm glad you came on such short notice Zelts. I'm surprised you have the free time to see me, with Team VRSZ's fluctuating schedule and all," Clair said with a happy look on her face. With her own busy schedule, she enjoyed anytime she could spend with the members of her favorite team of vagabonds. Zelts understood how she felt. He enjoyed her company as well, though he could do without the constant teasing she gave him about Lily and how she purposely invades his personal space as a sign of platonic affection. She did this with everyone she considered a friend, but Zelts thought it was mentally exhausting.

"Luckily, you caught me on a good day. Remus and Silver are home with nothing really planned. Just a lazy day for them," Zelts answered with an air of familiarity that Clair liked. Bianca grinned to herself when she heard Silver was being Silver, thinking about visiting him.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

True to Zelts' word, Remus and Silver were sitting on the living room sofa doing nothing, with Silver closing his eyes and trying to levitate while Remus playing a video game on his scroll. Out of nowhere, a fly was zipping through the living room, getting closer to Remus' line of sight. It landed on his scroll and he shooed it away, only for it to fly around him again. Feeling quite annoyed at the insect's persistence, Remus forgot about his game and tried his best to get rid of it or kill it. He failed to even touch the flying annoyance which only irked him more as his swings got more aggressive, making an unlucky bystander a casualty in the battle. Remus flung his hand to far and smacked an unsuspecting Silver in the face. He grunted in pain, and without warning, attacked Remus by lunging for him till they both fell of the sofa and nearly landed near the coffee table. Remus was on the defensive when Silver tried to slug him, but the fly zipped between them and Silver could see what his friend was really trying to hit. Silver got up to try his luck at killing the thing, but the fly truly proved itself to their most elusive adversary. Taking this fly down was probably going to take Remus and Silver all day.

 **Setting: Clair's Office**

"What about Violet? Is she having a lazy day as well?" Clair asked curiously.

"Actually, she took on a freelancer mission and she's doing it solo. Said something about treasure hunting in some ancient ruins and the client said she could keep a piece of whatever she finds once she gets back," Zelts answered.

"Treasure hunting? That sounds so adventurous and exciting! Oh, I wish I could join on her mission. Hopefully it's nothing too daring for her, though I doubt there's nothing too daring for someone like Violet," Clair said and Zelts seemed to agree, even though he hoped his friend and leader was really okay on her own.

 **Setting: Underground Temple**

Somewhere in the vast desert of Vacuo was a stone building in the middle of nowhere and parked beside it was the Fantasia with no one inside. Deep in the structure's sub-levels, Violet was traversing through the ruins to reach her goal, but she encountered some trouble along the way; booby traps. A hallway full of poison arrows, a giant boulder rolling down to flatten her, wrong turn to a room full of flesh-eating insects, and the new one she just sprang was a pitfall trap right below her feet. As she fell through the small chasm, Violet spread her legs out to do a split so her boots could slow her descent. She placed her hands against the walls as well to help slow herself down and it worked, she finally stopped falling. The move saved her life, a few feet below her were large spikes on the ground that would've impaled her. Looking around the small pitfall trap, Violet noticed a small hole above her and guessed that it was a way out of here. Being very careful, she slowly made her way up the pit and climbed her way into the hole which turned out to be a small tunnel, one she could crawl through to who knows where.

 **Setting: Clair's Office**

"So, you want to hire me as your bodyguard again? I'll be happy to help you-"

"No, you're only half right," Clair said, interrupting Zelts before he could continue, "I am hiring you as a bodyguard, but not for me. Bianca, be a sweetheart and bring in my…client please," she said with a slightly awkward look and Bianca had the same expression before returning to her usual professional look.

"Of course, Lady Clair," Bianca said before leaving her office with Clair resting her head on her arm.

"I really wish she'd call me Clair and drop the formalities. That girl is too job-focused, but I love her all the same," Clair said to Zelts who smiled at her for talking about her friends so casually. Just as she said that, Clair walked in with a discontented look on her face and behind her was someone else. Before Zelts could turn around to get a look at his client, the person spoke and he knew who it was.

"Moonlight! How you doing cuz?"

Clair forced herself to smile when she saw her cousin, Copper Periwinkle Vantablack enter her office and she wasn't the only one who disliked him. Everyone else in the room didn't enjoy his company. The young man was a known flirt who burnt through money the minute he has it in his hands and was unaware that his personality rubbed people off the wrong way. Even Zelts found him to be rather annoying, especially his constant need to talk about how he could have any girl he wants thanks to his so-called charm. Despite their first encounter, Zelts was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but that changed when he asked about Team CLSH and if any of them were legal.

"I'm…fine Copper," Clair finally responded. On closer inspection of his persons, she noticed that he had a red mark on his right check, a red hand-shaped mark that she could only assume meant he tried to hit on Bianca for the hundredth time and failed like always. He was family and she genuinely loved him, but thought he needed to mature and grow as a person. Something the other members of the Vantablack family thought he would do by spending time in Fortuna, but nothing's changed.

"I told you to call me C.P. instead. Makes it easier for you, Moonlight."

"I will, if you stop calling me Moonlight."

"It's my nickname for you. Don't like it?" C.P. smirked and Clair shook her head.

"We're digressing. C.P, I'm sure you're well acquainted with Zelts Allister," Clair addressed C.P. to the freelancer sitting beside him. C.P. looked at Zelts with a blank expression for a while.

"I don't remember. Have we met?" Zelts arched his eyebrow at his statement.

"You've met several times," Clair said, but C.P. was still not convinced.

"He a freelancer, a member of Team VRSZ." C.P. was still drawing a blank and Clair sighed because she knew how to get remind him.

"He's Violet surrogate brother." Hearing her name sparked C.P.'s interests and he immediately knew who she was talking about.

"Oh yeah, I remember that girl! Great legs, greater ass! She's your friend right?" His comment upset Bianca and Clair while angering Zelts, who was second guessing whether to take this mission.

"…I'd…prefer if you used her name and not her physical assets. Anyway, for whatever reason, you are planning to go to Fortuna's prison. I don't really care about your preferences or activities, but I do fear for your well-being. That's why I'm hiring Zelts to keep you safe. Despite our improvements to the town-city, the prison hasn't been improved and security has been rather low due to short staff. And, you can't fight, at all."

"I don't need protection, I'm just visiting the local bad girls of Fortuna. If things go well, maybe they'll need protection once we start-"

"Alright! Stop! Don't say anymore! I honestly doubt you'll meet someone there, but Zelts will be there to prevent any dangers from befalling you. A lot of dangerous people are in that prison and they don't think too kindly about the Vantablack family. Zelts, keep him safe, if not for him, then for me."

Clair was actually looking at Zelts with a pleading expression, hoping he would accept. Of course, he would accept, but he could understand her concern. C.P. was rather unpleasant and the other members of his team really didn't like him. It was always a guarantee that Violet would punch or kick him because of his pick-up lines and comments. Even if he didn't say anything, Violet would still hit him because she knew when he was thinking of something that would make her attack. Silver hated him because of his constant need to hit on Bianca. If Clair called Silver in to do this mission, Zelts could see him getting up and leaving the minute she mentioned C.P.'s name. Even Remus didn't like C.P., which surprised Zelts because Remus liked everyone, but the great difference in their personalities was definitely the contributing factor.

"I will keep C.P. safe during his visit. I promise," Zelts said to reassure Clair, who was now his new client. She couldn't be happier that he accepted that the covenant was forged, but she forgot one thing, the pay. Given that it was an easy mission, it shouldn't be expensive, then again, it was her cousin.

"How does 3,500 Lien sound to you? I could go higher if you want."

"That's fine, but you don't have to pay. This a friend helping a friend," Zelts said with a smile that made Clair smile as well.

"That's very generous of you, but trust me, even if nothing happens, I want to pay you for accepting to be around my cousin," she leered at C.P., who was playing with his scroll during this whole conversation. The fact that he just took a selfie proved he wasn't paying them any attention. With that, Zelts got up to leave, not before grabbing C.P. by the arm to dragged him out of the office.

Stepping out of Concordia, Zelts stopped dragging his charge so they could walk to the prison together. C.P. believed he was in charge of Zelts, so he told him not to manhandle him and ruin his clothes again, but Zelts ignored him. He knew his real boss was his employer, Clair, but he let C.P. talk just to humor him. Despite taking the mission for a friend, he still didn't like the idea of being with C.P. and watching him try to hit on prisoners. With each step, Zelts grew more dismayed about how boring his day was going to be.

 _"_ _I wonder how everyone else's day is going? Hope it's better than mine,"_

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

After an hour of battle, Remus and Silver were still trying to destroy the insect that has plagued their day. Tension grew as the bug dodged every hand and every swat thrown at it. It eventually escalated to the point where Remus actually grabbed Romulus from his room and tried using his twin swords to kill it, but once again, he couldn't land a single blow, just getting extremely close to its air space before it flies away. Even Silver grabbed his Fenrir and used the escrima sticks to smash the bug, but to no avail. Finally fed up with the thing, Silver shifted Fenrir to dual handguns and was ready to let loose, forgetting all about one of Violet's house rules; never use weapons indoors.

 **Setting: Underground Temple**

Violet travelled deeper and deeper into the dungeon in hopes of locating the treasure. If she learned anything from playing video games with Remus, it's that treasure is hidden in the deepest part of the temple. After an hour of traversing through the large structure, the silence and solitude was really getting to her. Even though she had the best track record on completing solo missions, with only two failures out of thirteen, she preferred the company of her boys much more. Jumping down stone rocks, Violet finally made it to the bottom floor of the temple. It was spacious with stone columns supporting the floor above and in the center of the room was a treasure chest covered in gold and decorated with rare jewels. Even with her prize in sight, Violet knew it was never that easy. Another thing she learned from watching Remus play video games, it's that there's always a monster or something defending the treasure. Just as she thought of it, next appeared were two Grimm approach her. One of them was a King Taijitu and the other was a Geist that flew toward a collection of stones and rose as a stone giant. Violet looked at the two Grimm before her and smiled with a mixture of confidence and wickedness that hid her tactical mind as it came up with several strategies to defeat the obstacles in her way. She pulled out three Enigmas in her left hand and drew one of her daggers in the other, prepared to fight her to get to her prize.

"Finally, some real action," she said ready to battle.

 **Setting: Prison**

The two men walked to one of the corners of Fortuna with the prison in sight. The building was a four-story building with barricades and fences designed to keep prisoners in and to keep any possible aggressors out. With the prison gates in sight, Zelts couldn't be happier. He had to suffer C.P.'s non-stop talking about himself, mostly about the things he's done since being in Fortuna, how great he is, and how he categorizes every girl in the area. It helped that he was the most patient member of Team VRSZ, but that didn't mean he could listen forever. He gave C.P. short, one-worded answers whenever he tried to start a conversation and he made sure to never bring up Lily in any way because he knew that if C.P. said something vulgar about Lily, he'd beat him down on the spot. They finally made it to the prison and the guards let them inside, showing that they were either aware of C.P.'s Vantablack status or he has come here numerous times and they understood the routine. C.P. stopped Zelts when they were in the mess hall to speak to him.

"Okay, this is where we part ways. No offense, but I don't need a wingman to woo women. But if you want, you can stay on the sidelines and take notes. I'm sure it will be enlightening." The confidence in his tone really perplexed Zelts.

"C.P., you keep talking about how you can hook up with any girl you want."

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"During all the times I've seen you, you've never had a girl at your side. Not even once and you keep saying you know how to pick up girls. Have you ever picked up a girl, for real?" Zelts asked waiting for an answer.

"…Yeah, of course I have. Several times. At least a dozen girls in Fortuna want to be with me."

"Name one," Zelts asked and C.P. was rather silent.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…I'll…wait for you in the hallway," Zelts said to break the incredibly awkward silence before leaving the mess. Right after he left, guards escorted a large group of women dressed in prison uniforms into the area where they formed groups and talked amongst themselves. C.P. strutted to one girl and tried to smooth talk her, but like always, he failed to get their attention. He even got slugged by a few before guards came in to take them away, though he always got up unharmed and ready to go for round two. Zelts stood in the hallway for about an hour and a half before he started to nod of from his leaning on the wall position. After striking out with almost every female inmate, C.P. was almost ready to head home, but he saw someone that really caught his eye. Sitting all by herself at a table was a woman with long black hair and beautiful flawless skin, but one feature that stood out was the black visor over her eyes that obscured her vision or prevented others from seeing her eyes. Either way, she stood above all the other women in the room and C.P. walked up to her with his usual composure.

"Hey babe," he said with bravado. His words seemed to surprise the unsuspecting lady as she turned to him and smiled, showing she had fangs. This woman was a faunus, but that didn't stop C.P. from hitting on her. "Of all the beautiful women here, you stand at the top of the food chain. And if you're on the menu, then I'd like to take a bite." This caused the girl to giggle. C.P. was actually flabbergasted that she actually laughed at his comment instead of hitting him like everyone else. This was the first time he ever made it past this point in a conversation, so he was in unknown territory. It was made easier when the lady took a more assertive role by placing her hand on his arm before sliding it up to his shoulder. She cupped his face and brought it close to hers, feeling the warmth of each other's breath until she pulled away to tease him. It took him less than a minute to be putty in her hands and he was ready to do anything she wanted if it led to something more, but all she did was express sorrow.

"W-what's wrong?" he asked with great concern. He reached up to place his hands on hers. The guards saw this, but they didn't see the harm, though they kept an eye on one their most dangerous prisoners.

"It's just that…you seem like a very lovely man, but this thing," she placed her hands on the visor, "doesn't give me a good look at you. I just wish I could see the face that accompanies such an attractive soul."

Without warning or hesitation, C.P. brought his hands to her visor and pulled them off, something all that caused all the guards to swarm over as fast as they could, but it was too late. He already got the contraption off her face and she opened her eyes. They were a bright green and dazzling until they instantly changed to dark blue as she looked into C.P.'s eyes. His eyes changed to the same dark blue and as she turned to face all the guards that tried to subdue her, causing the same thing to happen to them. With all the guards under her spell, she ordered them to escort her out of the prison. This plan would've been a success, if not for the personal bodyguard slumped on the wall as he fell asleep on the job. When she opened the door, the sudden sound woke Zelts up as he looked to see if it was his charge, but saw a very familiar face look at him with shock. Before she could change her eyes from green to blue, Zelts took his Heart of Gold, split it into wingblades, and hurled a gust of wind at her, knocking her back into the mess hall. She quickly got up and hypnotized several inmates that wanted nothing to do with her escape.

Zelts burst through the door with his wingblades in hand. He looked around to see almost everyone was being contolled and he didn't like these odds.

"It's been a long-time love," the woman said with an alluring tone, "I never expected to see you again."

"I never thought I'd see you again Malinda, especially not after Violet punched your fang out your mouth." Her eye twitched in irritation, but it was a fleeting moment as she regained her composure. She flipped her hair like it deflected his words back at him.

"Fortunately for me I grew another one and thanks to this moron, I have a chance to get out of here and get even with your bitch of a leader."

"That idiot," Zelts thought as he looked over at a brainwashed C.P. before saying, "Unfortunately for you, Violet's not in Fortuna, so your plans are dashed. Not like you were going to past me."

"I've had you in the grip of my semblance before. What makes you think I can't do it again?"

"Because I learn from my mistakes. As long as I don't look you in the eyes, I won't be affected, plus you're not a fighter. Your subjects fall, you fall. Plain and simple."

"Then let's see how you fair against all this. Eliminate him now!" the viper faunus commanded and all the guards ran toward Zelts. He knew they were only innocent people who got caught up in a dangerous situation, but in order to help them, he had to knock them out. He put his weapon back into shield form and was ready to protect himself against the metal batons they held. Zelts kept his guard up by blocking the blunt blows with his shield while the rest of the mindless horde circled around to attack from his flank. He turned his head to the other group of guards and used his free arm to defend himself. With his superior strength, Zelts was able to use his arm to block attacks and knock away some of the guards, but because he was only using one arm, he wasn't able to block them all, so he was struck several times by the batons. Finally fed up with playing it safe, he put his other hand onto his shield and spun around to knock back everyone near him, giving him time to split his shield once more and spin a second time, surrounding himself with a small tornado that expanded and acted as a barrier that pushed everyone away, giving Zelts space to think about his next move. He remembered what Violet told him about snapping people out of Malinda's Trance; hit them hard enough to knock them out of it or render Malinda unconscious.

The wind dispersed and Zelts quickly moved toward Malinda to end this quickly, but his path was cut short by the hypnotized prisoners that stood in his way. They weren't armed with weapons, but that didn't stop them from trying to overpower him with sheer numbers by dogpiling him, but with his shield, he charged toward them like a battering ram. They were bystanders under Malinda's Trance, but they were also prisoners, so Zelts didn't feel as bad as he did for the guards. After charging through several of them, Zelts split his shield into wingblades again and blasted small bursts of wind to push them all aside, making his way to Malinda as her horde were following behind him. There was only one more prisoner in front of her, so Zelts motioned his arms for another attack, but he stopped when he got a good look at the person. He wasn't a prisoner or a guard, he was C.P., the person he was charged with keeping safe. He halted his attack and was tackled over by the guards and prisoners.

Malinda laughed at the freelancer's hesitation and began to leave the facility with C.P. in tow as insurance. Not giving up, Zelts activated Conversion and absorbed the dust woven into his shirt. He didn't fully charge it, but he absorbed enough to give his body the boost it needed for him to get back on his feet, even with more than two dozen people on his back, and with a flex of his arms, he pushed them all back, knocking them all to the ground. He rushed over to Malinda, who ordered C.P. to be her shield and go attack Zelts. The brainwashed Vantablack moved in to attack the freelancer, but the fact that C.P. wasn't a fighter made it easy for Zelts, but embarrassing for C.P., who throws some pathetically weak punches that didn't do anything to his bodyguard. Zelts didn't even see the need to protect himself as each punch did nothing as C.P. released a barrage of blows. Seeing this as a way to get him out of the fight, Zelts grabbed his arm, twisted it around his back, and kicked him into an empty cell that was a few feet away. He locked it so C.P. wouldn't come out and make this worse, but doing this gave Malinda the time she needed to make it out of the prison.

Malinda was out of the building, running desperately to freedom, but a sudden gust of wind blasted her behind her back and knocked her down. She got up and turned around to see the freelancer approach from the distance, but as he got closer, she noticed that something was different about him, and when Zelts made toward her, she realized he blindfolded himself. Zelts used his scarf to act as a blindfold by wrapping it around his head, partly obscuring his vision, but giving him enough view to see Malinda while not being affected by Trance. Thinking he really couldn't see her, Malinda bolted for the gates, but Zelts swung his wingblades to release another large wind blast that knocked her over again. He couldn't see her all that well, but he could make out her figure through the fabric and just attacked indiscriminately in her general area. He continued doing this, sending wave after wave of gust at her which tossed and turned her around like a rag doll. She was helpless and at his mercy. He created a small tornado and launched it at her, surrounding and trapping her in the swirling vortex as it moved closer to him. The tornado dispersed when it was a few feet away from Zelts and Malinda fell to the ground. She was beaten, but Zelts grabbed her by the arm to get her back on her feet and said, "You're going back to prison and you're going to set everyone free. Is that understood?"

"…Fine, no need to twist my arm. I'll do it," Malinda said reluctantly. Zelts escorted her back into the building she just escaped from and true to her word, Malinda deactivated Trance with a thought, releasing her hold on everyone, lest she receive a further lashing from the freelancer. Zelts explained everything that happened to the guards and they took Malinda back to her cell as he left to check on the person he was charged with keeping safe. When he opened the cell door, he saw that C.P. was sleeping on the bed like nothing happened, making Zelts feel happy that he was alright, but also a little irked that the one who caused all this mayhem was sleeping like a baby. He walked over and nudged C.P. awake.

"Copper, wake up. It's time to go."

C.P. woke up and looked at Zelts before saying, "Already, what happened to that nice lady?" Zelts explained how Malinda used him to escape and everything that transpired. C.P. sat there for a while to process what he was told. Zelts thought he was showing signs of maturity by reflecting on his actions so he wouldn't do something like this again, but what C.P. said next dashed those thoughts. "You think she'll go out with me if I promised to wait for her? I'll definitely visit her again if she wants."

All Zelts could do was put his hand on his head like he was suffering from a headache. Zelts never thought he would hit someone for being so thickheaded, but right now, he was mulling it over. After an internal debate, Zelts decided against striking C.P. and guided him back to Clair to end this infuriating mission. This was an irritating day for him and he hoped his friends were doing better.

 **Setting: Underground Temple**

The King Taijitu's dead body was slowly disintegrating and the stone vessel used by the Geist was hunched over with cracks, ice, and scorch marks all over it. The Grimm itself was just impaled in the mask by an Enigma and it vanished in a cloud of black smoke. Violet was breathing heavily as she sat down to recover a little after a long-fought battle. The area was littered with Enigmas and the ground had several large cracks, showing that this was an intense battle. In Violet's hand was one of her daggers, but it was broken. The blade was broken off and she scuffed at her misfortune, but the thought of well-earned treasure helped her get over it. She approached the chest, unlocked it by using her knife like a key, and opened it to view it's contents.

 **Setting: Clair's Office**

Zelts returned C.P. to Concordia where they parted ways, though C.P. only took a few steps before he saw a beautiful woman cross his path and he decided to follow her. Zelts ignored this and went to Clair's office, where he informed her of the events that took place when they were in prison. She was actually astonished to hear about the ordeal Copper has put Zelts through and said, "Oh my, I am so sorry Zelts. I know he's an idiot, but his actions have never caused such harm. To you, the guards, even the prisoners who were used by Malinda. I can't express how terrible I feel about all this. Tell me, is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"There's no need for that Clair. Like I said, there's no debt among friends," Zelts said, but Clair shook her head defiantly.

"No, a member of my family made things worse for you and I need to repay you with more than just what you were promised as a reward. Is there something you want? A favor you'd like from me to do for you?" At first, Zelts thought this was all unnecessary, but he did think of one thing he wanted. Something only Clair could do for him and this was a good time to ask for it.

"There is one thing, but you might find it foolish," he said, but she insisted that he continue and he did, "You know about Lily and how she is currently living somewhere in Vale. I haven't been able to see her since I've returned, but we keep in touch and-" Clair giggled a little before trying to suppress it.

"I understand. You'd like to see her again. Luckily for you, I am willing to fulfill that wish." Her words made Zelts look at her with surprise as she continued, "My pilot will fly you to your friend with my airship, but I can only permit this once. It's my only airship darling."

"R-really? I can see Lily?" he asked it wasn't real or Clair was playing some prank on him.

"Of course, sweetheart. My ship is ready whenever you are. Go see your special friend and make some memories," Clair said as she grinned at the change in expression. From confusion to happy, Zelts' bad day changed to a great one. The woman, his friend, was giving him a real chance to see Lily in person and he couldn't hide the fact that he was beyond happy. In fact, Zelts was so overwhelmed with emotion that he lost all sense of formality and did something unexpected. He rose from his seat, walked over to Clair, and hugged her, lifting her from her seat at the mercy of his strength, though she didn't seem to mind because she was smiling as well.

"Ahahaha!"

"Thank you, Clair. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. I-I don't know when I'll make this trip, but it will happen. I'll find a way to repay you. I promise," Zelts said while still holding the woman in his arms.

"You spent a day with Copper. That's payment enough." Zelts put her down as she continued, "Just tell me when you'd like to depart and I'll make the arrangements. Now go enjoy the rest of your day darling." With that, Zelts left Clair's office with a spring in his step.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Zelts was walking down the sidewalk back to his home. He stopped when he finally made it to the front gate, but his gleeful moment was halted by the sudden appearance of his leader, Violet, who he wasn't expecting to be back in at least two more days. She looked at him with an arched eyebrow and said, "Zelts, are you feeling alright?"

"Y-Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because on my way here I saw you pretty much dance your way on the other end of the sidewalk."

"Oh that…uh…I had a good day. I'll tell you about it later. Actually, how was the mission? Did you find any treasure?" Violet's face seemed to changed when he asked his question. She seemed rather upset and annoyed.

"Worst mission ever. The client said I could have a portion of the treasure as payment, I went through traps, secret doors, almost eaten, battled Grimm, and broke one of my daggers. All for this." Violet pulled out a small piece of paper and showed it to Zelts. He looked at it and the written message on it that said;

 _"Adventure and friendship are the greatest treasure of all!"_

"What kind of bullshit is that!? That place was full of traps and Grimm! What kind of psychoi does that to people!?"she shouted.

Zelts was trying his best to hold back his laughter, but he couldn't as he laughed while hunched over. He knew this is never the kind of thing she enjoyed. If it's not money or jewels, then she had no use for it. Violet squinted her eyes because he was laughing at her misfortune. She did a job basically for free and lost one of her daggers in the process, but the she thought about how her day was over and how she can unwind in the peace of her own home. The duo walked to the front door together and he was about to open it when he heard gunfire coming from inside. Immediately, Violet kicked the door open and rolled into the base with throwing knives in her hands while Zelts had his wingblades out, but the sight they saw was something they weren't prepared for.

They both saw Remus and Silver with their weapons out, attacking nothing but air while knocking down furniture and shooting holes in the walls. Violet's day was already bad and their buffoonery only made it worse. Silver had his guns out as he tried to shoot the fly, but for some reason, he couldn't hit his mark. Even Remus' was fast strikes were missing the fly and it bothered both of them to no end. Silver was just about to combine his guns to transform Fenrir into sniper form, but Violet ran over to him and slugged the side of his head, knocking him down. The action surprised Remus, who received the same treatment two seconds after Silver. While she knocked some sense into her boneheaded teammates, the world's most elusive fly buzzed out the base by going through the front door she and Zelts left open. Silver was extremely upset that it ended like this, but he wasn't going to question Violet unless he wanted to get punched again. Remus didn't show it, but he was dismayed as well due to the fly being able to get around his attacks and live to tell the tale. It truly wasn't a good day for any of them, except for Zelts, who had a pretty alright day if you asked him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Wake-Up Call**

 **Setting: Ghost & Bianca's Apartment**

An alarm went off in Ghost's room which wakens him from his slumber. He rose from his bed and grabbed his alarm clock to see that it was five in the morning, the time he was supposed to wake up, but hated it because he had a job to do. Getting dressed and barely eating anything for breakfast, Ghost was about to walk out of the apartment until he heard a door open, followed by a yawn. He looked over to see Bianca at the threshold of her bedroom door wearing pajamas while she scratched her white hair. He was trying to make a quiet exit, but he seemed to fail seeing as roused his sister from slumber.

"You leaving already?" she asked still tired from being awakened.

Ghost sighed and answered, "Yeah, my job is in the middle of the desert so I gotta head out now. Can't leave Onyx to fend for himself. The kid's scrappy, but he's better off with me around."

"I'm sure you can handle this by yourself, though I thought you would inform your best friend of your mission. He'll probably come along if you ask." Ghost twitched a little when Bianca mentioned Silver. In all honesty, Ghost was a little weary of seeing his best friend. Silver has been visiting his apartment for the past week to do stuff or just hang out with him or his sister and Ghost needed some time to himself. This mission to the desert was the reprieve he needed.

"Think I'll pass. I can do this one on my own. Get some sleep Bianca. It's still early," Ghost said as he left the apartment and made his way to Onyx's workshop.

 **Setting: Onyx's Workshop**

Ghost walked up to Onyx workplace/home and entered through the front door. In the waiting area where all customers come to do business, Ghost could see that Onyx was nowhere to be found, meaning he was in the back tinkering on a very important project or sleeping because it's still early in the morning. Being one of Clair's confidant's and having a stable relationship with the owner of the workshop, Ghost walked past the help desk and went into the back area to meet his charge. Walking down the hallway to Onyx's lab, he opened the door to see Onyx was packing a backpack with a bunch of excavation tools and he did so with joy based on the way his furry black tail was wagging. Ghost wasn't the enthusiastic type, but he wasn't going to spoil this kid's adventure with his usual personality. He was going to be more uplifting for the young faunus.

"Hey Onyx," Ghost said, shocking the young Vantablack who jolted a little from the unexpected greeting.

"Wow, Ghost, you really live up to your name. I didn't notice you were there. Thanks for coming along to help me. I could use the extra muscle on this job."

"Yeah, about the job. Clair never told me the details. She just said to accompany you and make sure you don't get hurt. The only other thing I got from her is that we're leaving Fortuna."

"Despite years of civilization in Vacuo, the area is full of materials and resources that have yet to be excavated. I found an area that is probably full of rare metals, metals I can use to repair buildings or make weapons. I told Clair, but said her task force is spread too thin for any to help me, so-"

"One of her three confidants were the next best choice," Ghost finished and Onyx nodded. Ghost didn't mind at all, though waking up at the crack of dawn was a pain in the ass, he would never disappoint Clair, after all, she was like a second sister to him. Onyx was her cousin, and therefore, his responsibility, so he would make sure the young faunus makes it back home unscathed. When he saw Onyx put the backpack on his back, Ghost asked, "Ready to head out?"

 **Setting: Desert**

Unlike Team VRSZ, sporting a silver sports car to drive them around, Ghost was not that fortunate, such are the whims of Fortuna. He had no personal mode of transportation and the task force vehicles were all currently in use, but the whims of Fortuna aren't always cruel. Before officially going on their mission, Ghost and Onyx told Clair their plight and she sympathized with them. Clair was always known for her over the top generosity and now was a prime example because she gave them her personal car, a vehicle once owned by a notorious bounty hunter now Clair's personal luxury. She never had many chances to use it so letting Ghost and Onyx take it seemed like a good idea. Ghost drove through the sands of the desert with the black car while he and Onyx enjoyed the scenery and the air conditioning. Onyx looked at a map he brought with the designated area marked with an X. He made sure to guide Ghost to the exact spot they needed to be and they made it to their destination two hours later. Onyx's calculations were correct. In the area where Onyx guided them was a rocky pit full of rare metals and ores. The crevice was deep, but not so deep the two couldn't see the bottom and Onyx didn't wait for an invitation. He jumped right into the pit and scaled his way down with his gears in his backpack. Ghost knew the young genius didn't need help with the extraction, not that he knew how to use any of Onyx's devices, so he stayed topside to keep guard. Ghost scouted the area because he wanted to keep Onyx safe and it was routine, but if he was completely honest with himself, he didn't think he really needed to guard Onyx from anything. They were the only ones around for miles, making this an easy job to complete, except Ghost could see something coming, something from above based on the growing shadow that loomed over him. Ghost quickly jumped out of the way as something landed in his previous spot while picking up sand. Onyx heard the commotion up above, but he ignored it to focus on his work because Ghost was hired to deal with any unexpected occurrences. When the sand cleared, Ghost saw who it was that tried to crush him and he groaned, "Oh, it's just you."

The person in question was a known criminal in Fortuna and former recurring enemy of Team VRSZ, Buff. The man with one real arm on one side and three mechanical arms on the other. Buff looked at Ghost and said, "Glad to hear someone know who I am."

Despite fighting Team VRSZ multiple times, none of them could ever remember the mercenary for some reason. Ghost couldn't see how now that the man had three robot arms, something he wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon. It was his first time meeting Buff face to face, but he read about the man in Concordia's criminal records. The mercenary was a former D-List that has been upgraded to a C-List threat thanks to the upgrades his mechanical arms gave him. With said arm, Buff aimed all three of them at Ghost and fired three dust-fueled laser blasts. Ordinarily, Ghost would've used Spectre to let the lasers phase through his body, but Clair's car was somewhere behind him. It was a good distance away, but Ghost didn't want to chance it and get his boss' car destroyed, so he was forced to take the laser blasts in the chest, knocking him over and off his feet. Buff went on the offensive by gunning for Ghost and leaping above to land on him to grip Ghost's throat with his steel grip, but Ghost phased through the sand out of harm's way. Buff didn't know what just happened and he didn't have time to react to Ghost phasing through again and slashing Buff with a quick uppercut then he punched him square in the nose, causing the four-armed man to take a few steps back and giving Ghost the distance to slam Purgatory onto the ground, releasing ice dust that covered the ground around the two and created large spikes that damaged Buff's aura.

Ghost refused to let up as he unleashed a flurry of claw strikes along with several punches from his unarmed hand. Buff grabbed Ghost's Purgatory with one of his robot arms and gripped it hard to prevent Ghost from using his semblance, but he didn't understand how Spectre worked. Ghost phased his arm out of Buff's grip and slammed the palm against Buff's chest then sent out searing flames that pushed him back further, far passed the pit Onyx was still doing his work. The flow of battle was entirely in Ghost's favor as he jumped over the hole and shoot several large spikes of ice from Purgatory's palm, but they only landed a couple feet away from Buff who was getting himself off the ground. Ghost landed on one of the spikes and slid down toward his adversary with more momentum as Buff fired more shots at the enforcer, but Spectre made the shots go right past him and break the ice apart while Ghost closed the distance. He jumped till he was just above Buff's head and used the ice dust in Purgatory to encase it in a thick layer of ice. Using all the force he could muster, Ghost slammed his frozen weapon down on Buff's head like a sledgehammer. Buff fired three more laser blasts at Ghost, but Ghost used Spectre to make his entire body intangible, except for his frozen arm. The blunt force of the ice shattered the last of the rogue's aura and rendering him completely unconscious before he hit the ground. The fight was over and Ghost looked at the unconscious man sprawled across the sand. He continued to stare for a few seconds, thinking about what to do with him, until he decided to forget about Buff and leave him where he laid. The mercenary wasn't the enforcer's responsibility.

Ghost sat back down near the excavation site as Onyx continued his work. He could hear the young Vantablack talk to himself as he gushed over every piece of metal he found. It was Onyx's thing so Ghost could begin to understand a word he said or why he liked this kind of stuff, but he knew this was Onyx's thing and he wouldn't say anything bad about it. He was sure Onyx had questions for him as well, like why is he so pale despite all his time living in Vacuo. Even Blood was showing a little color and he was paler than Ghost. After a while, Ghost almost dosed off from just sitting there. He looked over to see that Buff was still laying there unconscious. Though he was experiencing some head trauma, his body wasn't so beaten up that he couldn't move, but Ghost didn't think too much about it as he returned to guard duty, though that didn't last long either due to the sound he was hearing behind him. Ghost got up and looked over at three black objects running toward him.

He couldn't make out what they were at this distance, but as they got closer he could see exactly what was coming, but he still couldn't believe it. Three Grimm were approaching the excavation site and stopped running a good distance away from where Ghost was standing. Ghost has heard of Grimm like them, but he didn't think something like this could actually exist, they were roosters, Cockatrices to be more exact. Rooster shaped Grimm, slightly larger than a normal person, with bone plating on their heads, beaks, chests, and feet. They had two sets of red eyes on their heads, three, very long tail feathers, and gizzards that were black and red, looking like a bloody wound. The three Grimm were surveying the area, moving their heads with quick jerk movements until all three had their eyes on the enforcer. Ghost slowly flexed his hand equipped with Purgatory, which the Grimm reacted to by dashing right toward him. They were fast, but Ghost was quick enough to dodge, and he did as the first Cockatrice tried to impale him with a powerful beak peck. The second one jumped in the air and tried to rip him open with its talons, except Ghost protected himself by blocking with Purgatory, though that move cost him because the third Cockatrice circled around him and spun around to swat him to the ground with its tail feathers, making him hit the ground.

The three Grimm jumped in the air above Ghost, all motioning their tails to attack as they tried to slam their tails on his back. Ghost quickly activated Spectre to phase through the ground before their tails could touch him. He quickly appeared out of the ground and witnessed the tails of the Grimm light up then release a powerful electrical discharge that resulted into a small explosion, something that would've happened to him if he didn't move out the way. Ghost's semblance was a very unique ability with very few weaknesses, but one of them was electricity, something he couldn't phase through and could actually harm him while intangible, the Achilles heel of Spectre. Ghost realized that he would be at a great disadvantage with all three coming after him, so he decided to focus his attention on one Cockatrice, kill it, decrease their numbers and increase his chance of winning. Ghost aimed Purgatory's palm in the direction of the Grimm and fired a freezing blast rather than icicle spears. They all dodged the move easily, but it wasn't Ghost's intention to attack them. He was thinking of his main priority, Onyx. Ghost used the ice blast to freeze over the hole of the excavation site, preventing the Grimm from locating and reaching the young faunus, who looked at the frozen barrier with confusion before returning to his work to extract the last of the material.

The Cockatrices used this moment to run circles around Ghost, who couldn't decide which one to kill first, so he attacked discriminately by slamming Purgatory to the ground to release a burst of fire that surrounded the area and forced the Cockatrices to fall back and stop moving. A large cloud of smoke formed from where the fire spread and Ghost traversed through it undetected till he lunged on top of an unsuspecting Cockatrice. The rooster Grimm bucked and jerked its body to remove Ghost, but the strong grip of Purgatory, along with its claws stabbing into its body, prevented Ghost from going anywhere else. Ghost made quick work of the Grimm as he slashed the wings, cut off the gizzard, and slit its throat before the body fell to the ground and began disintegrating, however tail feathers wrapped around Ghost and sent an electrical shock throughout his body, causing him to grunt in pain as his aura took a hit. The shock ended, but the feathers were still wrapped around his body as the Cockatrice and its double made their way to their supposedly defeated prey. Ghost played possum to figure out what to do next and his thoughts were interrupted by something moving. With his face on the ground, Ghost saw someone moving in the corner of his eye, someone he took care of earlier, Buff. Seeing the mercenary awaken gave Ghost an idea of how to defeat the Grimm and bypass his semblances weakness. He quickly activated Spectre and phased through the ground once again, confusing the Grimm as they looked for him. He traversed through the sands then reappeared next to a dazed Buff saying to the confused man, "I'm borrowing you."

Ghost phased his body into Buff's, possessing the mercenary and giving him all of Buff's abilities. In the man's body, Ghost got up and stared at himself, mostly at his three mechanical appendages. The Grimm saw him get up and ran toward him to attack. Ghost was trying to find a switch or a button to activate the laser function of the arms, but nothing was happening. The birds were getting closer and Ghost was starting to panic a little as he started throwing gang signs to see if that would work, which it didn't. It wasn't until he simply flexed all the fingers on one mechanical arm did a laser fire from the palm, grazing a Cockatrice while the other continued its way to Ghost. It wrapped Ghost in its feather tails again and released another powerful wave of electricity that hurt Ghost, but it didn't last long as he aimed one of the palms at the feathers and fired, cutting the tail feathers and stopping the shocks. The Grimm didn't seem too fazed as it marched up to Buff's body to slash at it with its talons, but Ghost used one mechanical arm to block and the other two fired a combined blast that shot through the rooster's leg, leaving it one-footed and off balanced as it fell to the ground. Ghost quickly reeled all three fists back and throw a combined punch at the Cockatrice's head, shattering the bone plating and killing the Grimm.

The final Cockatrice was keeping a good distance away from Ghost before doing something unexpected. Its eyes turned green and emitted a bright green light in Ghost's direction, causing him to shield his eyes with his arms. Ghost thought it was some kind of cheap distraction and tried to run over to the Grimm, but he couldn't move his legs. He looked down to see his lower body slowly be encased in stone and it continued to cover his body. The light show was actually an ability to cover any living thing within the Cockatrice's field of vision in stone and Ghost was one of them. Fortunately, his body was only being encased in stone instead of turning to stone, and better yet, this wasn't his real body. Once Buff's body was completely covered in a layer of stone, the Cockatrice slowly approached the statue and eyed it questioningly until Ghost surprised the Grimm by phasing out of Buff's body and out of the stone. Despite the unexpected move, the Cockatrice tried to attack Ghost by taking a bite out of him, but Ghost moved Purgatory in the direction of the attack, causing the Grimm to bite down and close its mouth of the armed gauntlet. Ghost used this moment to release all the fire dust he had left in his valve to burn the bird from the inside out. The Grimm's jet-black body was starting to glow and expand from the growing flames as it was about to burst and Ghost said to the Grimm's face, "Burn out, cockbite."

The bird exploded in black smoke and roaring flames, leaving Ghost and a statue of Buff on the battlefield with the smell of fried chicken in the air. After taking two quick breathes, Ghost walked over to Buff, activated Spectre on his right arm only, reached into the stone statue, and pulled a very distraught Buff out. Before Ghost had a chance to explain why he possessed him, Buff got to his feet and swiftly ran away from the enforcer, most likely out of fear. Ghost didn't think much of it as he went over to the icy barrier he created to keep Onyx safe and phased through it to see the young Vantablack with several containers filled with ores and other materials he found.

"Hey, you all done in here?" Ghost asked all nonchalant like he didn't just have a big battle.

Onyx nodded before saying, "I got everything I wanted. Could you help me carry it all to the car?" Ghost responded with a nod before turning to his frozen wall that was melting thanks to Vacuo's desert heat. Before he made it to the ice, Onyx took notice of how beat up and covered in what he could assume were scorch marks, assuming that Ghost had a rougher time than he let on. With one punch, he was able to break the ice apart enough to make a doorway for the two. While heading back to the car, Onyx asked him why he froze over the entrance in the first place and Ghost just said, "Don't worry about it."

 **Setting: Ghost & Clair's Apartment**

The events of today were enough for Ghost as he trekked his way back home to lay on his bed. Despite what happened, it all took place early in the morning and it was currently one in the afternoon, but Ghost didn't care, he wanted sleep. He didn't have the stamina to make it to his room, so he decided to fall asleep on the living room couch with his face on the sofa cushion. He closed his eyes and was about to finally fall asleep, but he was interrupted by Bianca walking into the room and sitting down next to his head. Her added weight disrupted his flow and he grumbled in annoyance only for his sister to place and hand on his head then started petting him, much to his dismay. He purposely groaned loud enough for Bianca to hear and she ignored it like always.

"So, how was your morning? Boring? Exciting?" Bianca asked with a with smile.

"…I'll tell you later sis. I just really want to go to sleep for about an hour or three." Bianca understood that Ghost was never a morning person and he only got up early because it was his job as Clair's enforcer. If he had his way, Ghost would be asleep all day and prowl around at night. Bianca knew this was his nature, so she complied by not prying into the activities of his mission, but one thing caught her attention and she wanted to address it.

"What are those things sticking out of Purgatory?" Ghost lifted his head and looked at his gauntlet to see what she meant. There were several teeth sticking out of Purgatory, most likely from the Cockatrice that bit his gauntlet. "Are those…teeth?"

"Rooster teeth if you want to be accurate," he answered, but it left Bianca with more questions about what he did with Onyx. She wouldn't get her answer anytime soon because Ghost was already in a deep slumber. She walked over to grab a blanket for her brother and covered him for comfort. Ghost snuggled into the warmth, making Bianca see a rather cute side of her brother, something she will enjoy telling Sapphire later.

 **Setting: Onyx's Workshop**

The front door to the workshop had a closed sign on it and the lights were turned off. Onyx was back in his lab, scanning the new metals and ores he collected with fascination. With the items on the desk, the young faunus leaned down from his seat to grab a small parcel that was leaning next the desk. He put the parcel in his lap and opened it to see that inside was Violet's Cheshire's Enigmas, specifically her two daggers, one broken and the other with a dull blade. He remembered when Violet brought this to him along with some Lien, asking him to fix her daggers. Onyx agreed, but thought of something better to do for his friend, the reason he needed to find these precious metals, make her something better.

* * *

 **The Cockatrice are Grimm I made up from the Rooster Teeth symbol. Thought it'd be fun to do and I was right. Even got to say Rooster Teeth and cockbite in the story thanks to Ghost.**

 **How does Team VRSZ receive jobs? They actually have a website where people can make appointment to meet them. The appointments are sent to Violet's phone and she can tell potential clients where they can meet to discuss things like the job, whether they'll accept it, and the pay.**

 **Bianca taught Silver how to fight and how to be an expert criminal in Greyhound. She is better than Silver in several categories, except marksmanship and deception.**

 **Violet and Silver are quite intelligent, but use different methods in battle. Violet is a calm tactiction that can learn while in the heat of battle to take down any kind of opponent. She avoids talking to enemies to prevent them from distracting her or gain an edge. The only time she speaks is when she calls upon her teammates to perform tasks. Silver is a former criminal/con-man, so he knows how to get a rise out of people just by talking. He's the most talkative member of Team VRSZ and uses that in battle to play mind games with opponents or throw them off. This is good for distracting them so Silver could sucker-punch or allow his teammates to slip in for a surprise attack. These two together make a very formiddable threat that can't be overlooked.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: First Flight**

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Zelts was beaming with happiness as he moved around his bedroom. He went through his belongings and placed whatever he needed in a suit case. Zelts has been known to smile the most out of his team, but he's been doing it non-stop for the past three days and it really creeped Violet and Silver out while Remus thought nothing of it. They all knew and understood why he was like this because the time has come for them to travel to Vale to visit Lily, something Zelts has been looking forward to for a long time and thanks to Clair, he could finally see her face to face. He finally finished packing everything he needed and walked down the hall to the stairs. Violet, Remus, and Silver were in the living room, already packed and ready to go, as they watched their teammate come down the stairs. Violet and Silver couldn't help but tease their friend about the trip and they've been doing for two days, not that Zelts ever let it get to him because he knew the jeering words were layered with encouragement. Remus on the other hand, was interested in seeing Lily himself than Zelts getting to see her. The last time they met, the two were fighting in an arena where she beat both him and Silver and they made a promise to fight each other again. No one really knew how that was going to play out, but they knew Remus was going to try his best to get some kind of battle with Lily. Zelts didn't mind or think much about as he walked down the stairs and his thoughts were only interrupted by Silver's words.

"Finally, ready loverboy?" Zelts could only grin as he walked through the living room to put his bag with his friends' bags. Seeing as how Silver didn't get any real reaction from him, Violet tried her hand at the harmless humor.

"Everything's all set. We're ready to see your girlfriend." Zelts chuckled this time, but wasn't going to give them the satisfaction.

"Yeah, let's go. Clair isn't going to wait for us forever." Zelts exited the door, refusing to give in to his friends' playful teasing. Silver arched his eyebrow while Violet actually puffed her cheeks like a child before picking up their respective bags and following Zelts outside their base as they made their way to the entrance of Fortuna. Violet and Silver were walking side by side and a few feet ahead of them were Zelts and Remus, who asked Zelts something.

"Do you think Lily will remember our promise to fight?" Zelts honestly didn't know if she would remember or if she would fight him. After saving all the children and all the horrors of Never-End, Zelts wouldn't be surprised if she gave up fighting all together. This was fine with him, but that would mean they would have to sooth a sour Remus that couldn't fight a strong opponent, something he would probably get over in a week or two.

"Perhaps, just gotta wait and see," Zelts responded, giving no clear-cut answer to Remus' question, but it didn't seem to bother him because he had something else to say.

"Oh, do you know which part of Vale Lily moved to?"

"Hmmm, if I recall she doesn't live on the main continent of Vale, on a small island called Patch. She lives in a small town that's near a more populated city."

"What's in the city?"

"You're unusually curious. Something in that city caught your eye?" Zelts asked.

"I've been to a lot of places when I was training with Dr. Lupa, including Patch. I heard there was a combat academy there, but I wasn't allowed to set foot on the grounds because she knew I would try to fight the students," Zelts chuckled because that did sound like Remus, "I won't fight any of the students. I just want to see what it's like."

Zelts could probably understand where his friend was coming from. Being an experiment for years, he was forced into vigorous training for years all by himself, now he wanted to see how ordinary kids do it. If Zelts told Violet about Remus' request, he was sure she would take him no problem.

"I think the city does have an academy. I believe it's called Signal Academy, probably the only one on that island. You could probably check it out once we're there." Remus responded with a grin and Zelts return the gesture with a smile. Little did Zelts or the others know, Remus had an ulterior motive for going to Signal Academy.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

Clair was waiting outside Fortuna's border along with her enforcers, Bianca, Ghost, and Blood. Behind the four of them was an airship that was ready to take off anytime. Team VRSZ arrived and greeted them while Zelts looked to the airship feeling giddy. Silver was telling Bianca that he would be gone for a few days and he'll let her know how things are, much to Ghost's annoyance at their growing closeness.

Bianca smiled warmly at and said, "I'll be perfectly fine. I can function perfectly fine without you. Besides, Ghost and I have to bust some wannabe thugs trying to start a smuggling ring in Fortuna. That'll be more entertaining than waiting at my window for your return." She looked over at her brother's stature and knew he was being his usual downer self so she went over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders. "Be sure to bring Ghost a souvenir. He's never been to Vale before and he would never ask you himself because he wants to look cool."

"Tch," Ghost grunted as he quickly turned his head to his sister who looked away and feigned ignorance. "I was going to ask him regardless and you make me seem like some kind of child. Really Bianca? Silver, just get me something nice." Ghost walked away from the group so they wouldn't make fun of him anymore. Silver ended it with a laugh before getting on the airship and taking a seat.

Blood told Remus to have fun on his trip and Remus told him that he was going to battle Lily. "She's really strong, just as strong as you, and I'm gonna get a rematch." Remus was brimming with so much excitement that it could take physical form. Blood was actually curious about Lily and wanted to know what kind of person she was, but that would have to happen another time because Clair needed him here by her side.

"Let me know who wins," Blood said, giving Remus a smirk before he boarded the airship.

Violet was with Clair who gave her a hug then sneaked a kiss on her cheek, making Violet groan like an annoyed younger sister. She knew Clair would never stop doing this so she learned to live with it. Clair took a step back to properly speak to Violet. "Enjoy your time in Vale, darling. Should be a peaceful vacation for the lot of you."

"A well-needed one too. Lucky for us, we're our own bosses and can stop accepting requests whenever. No worries for me," Violet said and Clair pretended to be jealous.

"Oh, look at you. Free to do whatever you want. I guess it's in the title for a freelancer, but I'd like to drop everything and do whatever I want too."

"You're a monarch Clair. If you leave office, all of Fortuna would go into chaos," Violet said with a smirk.

"…I know. Have fun darling. My pilot will fly you all to Patch. I'm sure you are capable of piloting an airship," Violet could admit it was something she learned to do while she was fending for her life, "but I'd prefer to have one of my men worry about my ship. Also, Silver would've wanted to fly it and I don't want another crashed airship. This is the only one I have left."

Violet laughed and so did Clair until they looked over at Zelts, who was still outside the airship as he looked up at the vehicle that would take him to Lily. The two women couldn't help but smile at the man's desire to see the person he cherished the most. Clair sighed in delight before saying, "Let me know how things go with those two lovebirds. Just don't be a third wheel. Have a wonderful time Violet. Oh, and Fantasia in the cargo hold. Can't go anywhere without your car."

"Right, thanks for doing all this for Zelts. I know I couldn't do something like this," Violet admitted. Clair walked behind her, wrapped her arms around Violet's shoulders, and rested her head on the girl's neck. The proximity between them startled Violet and the warmth of their bodies didn't help, but she calmed down when Clair told her, "I'm just a fan of young love, and knowing you, I'm sure you would've found a way to make this happen sweetie. It's who you are. Now, off you go."

Clair removed herself from Violet's person and waved her off, telling her to get on the airship already. Violet just grinned at her friend before walking over to the airship and her teammate. She placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention so they could board the airship and get in the air with the others. With everyone buckled up and the pilot ready to go, the airship took off with Patch as its destination.

 **Setting: Open Skies**

The airship was soaring through the night sky as it got closer to Vale territory. The pilot was focusing on flying the plane through what appeared to be rain clouds beginning to form. The team was doing their own thing while they waited to arrive at their destination. Zelts was staring out the window the whole trip, but after five hours of flight, he finally fell asleep with his face up against the wall. Violet got up from her seat to walk over and position her friend in a more comfortable position. Silver was sitting in a row of chairs further up. He looked over at the two, specifically Violet, and said, "It's been a while since you checked your hair. I can tell."

Violet was actually surprised and brought her left hand up to feel the buzzcut side of her hairstyle and Silver was right. Her blonde hair grew rather long, still short, but longer than she'd like it to be. Violet got up from where she was to excuse herself. She went to her bag, took out some clippers, shaving cream, and a razor, and went to the airship's bathroom to cut down her blonde hair. Silver returned to his original sitting position and ate a bag of marshmallows he brought with him then followed in Zelts' footsteps and fell asleep with drool rolling down his face. Remus was wide awake during the whole trip, playing on his scroll to pass the time. He texted with the members of Team CLSH to inform them of what they were doing and the girls texted back that they'll watch everything while Remus and the team are on vacation. After another hour passed, Violet emerged the restroom with her clippers, razor, and her hair in a different style. She completely shaved off her buzzcut blonde hair, leaving her nearly bald on the left side and purple hair on her right that reached down to her shoulder while almost covering the right side of her face.

She walked up to Remus, the only other member that was still awake, and stood in front of him. Remus looked up from his scroll to see his leader in front of him and his eyes widened before saying, "Hey, you changed your hair." Violet was surprised that Remus noticed immediately and his next comment made her fluster.

"You look really nice." Violet isn't one to care about the opinions of others when it came to her appearance. She dressed and styled herself the way she wanted, but hearing positive feedback for once was actually very heartwarming, especially when it came from one of her boys. "Violet, you okay? Your face is a little red."

Violet had no idea she was blushing and the fact that Remus pointed it out only made her blush more. She turned and quickly said, "N-nothing's wrong," and walked away to her previous seat, leaving Remus a little confused about her action. This only lasted for about a half hour because the pilot was on speaker. She said that a large number of Grimm were around the area of Patch they were supposed to land in, including the several Nevermores in the sky that threatened to bring the whole airship down. Violet knew that they needed to eliminate the threat before a crash landing could happen. She woke up both Zelts and Silver, informed them about the situation, and they moved to counter the Grimm as they made their way to the exit door.

"The Grimm in the sky are our first and most important priority. Remus, Silver, you guys are the most adept at aerial combat, so the Nevermores are yours. Use Cirque du Ciel until there are none left," Violet instructed as the team stood at the door.

"A non-stop onslaught? Hell yeah! I like that plan! So, I take it you and Zelts are on ground patrol?" Silver asked and Violet shook her head.

"You're only half right. Zelts is going to remain on top of the ship and assist you guys, keep you in the air. I'll handle the ones on the ground." Her words surprised Zelts. He never knew their team leader to do something so foolhardy.

"Are you sure about that? That's a lot more Grimm on the ground. I don't think that's best, especially now that you don't have your daggers. Me go with you instead," Zelts offered, but Violet shook her head at his suggestion.

"Thanks, but the Grimm in the sky need to be taken down now. I'll hold off the Grimm on the ground and dwindle their numbers as much as I can before you guys join me. This will get things done faster." Violet left to inform the pilot to slow the airship down for them to get outside.

"…" Zelts couldn't say anything else because she already made up her mind. Violet was leader, her choices and the consequences that followed were hers alone. The only thing he and the others could do was kill all the Grimm and help her as soon as possible. Zelts and the others felt the airship slow in speed and Violet returned. The plan was ready to be initiated.

"Remus, instead of using the door, it's probably best if you teleport us to the top," Violet said and Remus complied. Remus stretched his arms out and placed his hands onto Violet and Zelts while Silver grab hold off Zelts' arm. He used Checkpoint to teleport the entire team to the top of the airship, where eight Nevermores were circling the vehicle. It didn't help that it has been raining for a while without them knowing.

Remus, Silver, and Zelts got in battle stance as three Nevermores dived in for an attack. But before any of them could attack, small items flashed through the air and landed on the Nevermores. The objects were in fact Violet's Cheshire's Enigma, four of them imbedded into the skin of each Grimm. Lightning dust sparkled from the hilts of the twelve throwing knives and something incredible happened, lightning from the sky heralded down and struck the Nevermores with Enigmas in a flash, reducing them to ash. The boys were astounded as they looked at their leader, who flashed them a grin before she brought her shirt collar up to her face. She winked at them before running to the edge of the airship where she jumped off and dived toward the Grimm on the ground. Silver found it terrifying that Violet thought of using her Enigmas as lightning rods on the fly like that, but he and his brothers had to eliminate the rest of the flying monsters.

Remus teleported right on top of one of the Grimm. He took out the swords of Romulus and allowed the energy to flow through the blades. The darkness of the night sky made it difficult to tell where Remus was, but the blue glow of his swords gave away his position. With one swing, he cut off the wing of the Nevermore and the beast began to fall from the sky. Silver activated Gravity and jumped off the airship till he was in front of another Nevermore. With his personal gravity lightened, he aimed one of Fenrir at the face of the monster and fired a powerful fire round at its bone-plated face. The recoil pushed Silver away to another Grimm and he did the same move again. He hasn't mastered the ability to levitate so he used this as an alternative, making himself light and using his rounds to propel him around the air. He was able to do some decent damage to all the Grimm and Remus teleported around to deliver the killing blow to another one. Zelts watched and didn't think he was needed here, yet Violet told him she didn't need him down there with here. It took him a while, but he figured out the hidden message Violet was trying to convey.

Falling from the sky, Violet had her arms and legs out as she skydived to the island. Falling through the sky in this weather without a parachute was suicidal for any person, but Violet wasn't like any other person. The dark sky and falling rain made it difficult to gauge how far she was, but the flashed of lightning and the blood red eyes of the Grimm helped her figure it out. Once she was a certain distance away, she reached into her bag and pulled out several Enigmas and threw them at the large pack of unsuspecting Beowolves. The fire dust in the Enigmas' hilts were set ablaze and covered the knives in fire, giving off the impression of a small burning meteor shower. The seven fireballs reached the ground before she did and they bombarded the area, killing several Grimm. Violet was close to the ground so she pulled out a gravity Enigma and threw it on the ground where the gravity dust created a small zero gravity area around it, allowing Violet to safely reach the ground. The Beowolves surrounded her the minute Violet landed and she responded accordingly by drawing throwing knives from her bag and throwing thirteen of them at thirteen individual heads, right in the middle of their skulls and each knife having various effects such as blowing them up, freezing them, or blowing them and bystanders away with a small burst of wind. Violet jumped in the air while pulling out more Enigmas and was right on top of the large mass of Grimm, but instead of being landing directly into the fray, she landed on top of the head of one Beowolf, stuck a knife into its head, then ran forward using the bone-plated heads of the beasts as her foothold. She ran through the battlefield while throwing Enigmas with wind dust all around her to create small tornadoes that sucked in and tossed the Beowolves around. Violet was effectively killing an army of Grimm while remaining untouched.

The Nevermores left in the sky were reduced to three. Remus killed one another with a railgun bolt to the face, destroying it completely. He teleported back to the top of the airship next to Zelts to watch his other teammate. Silver was on the head of a Nevermore that tried to shake him off, but he stayed in place thanks to Gravity. He jumped off with a backflip and took aim mid-flip before using Fenrir to shoot out its eyes. He changed Fenrir from dual handguns to sniper form, aiming for the Grimm's neck, and fired a fire round that connected his mark. The fire explosion severed the head of the Grimm and the body fell from the sky. There was only one Nevermore remaining they could all tell it was much larger than the others. The Grimm headed toward the airborne Silver while he was open for an attack. Silver was ready to fight it off, but a puff of smoke appeared in front of him followed by Remus with Zelts equipped with his Heart of Gold. Zelts reeled his shield back as the Grimm opened its beak to try to eat them, but Zelts swung his shield arm and smacked the giant bird hard enough to jolt its head to the right and steer it off course. Remus used this moment to teleport all three of them Remus used this moment to teleport all three of them back to the top of the airship where Zelts and Silver decided to end this Grimm together.

They decided to go with Starfall as Silver first fired to ice shots with his sniper rifle, freezing the wings of the Nevermore to leave it incapable of flight as fell from the sky. Silver put his hand on Zelts' arm to alter his friend's personal gravity and make him light before throwing him in the direction of the Grimm. Once he was in range, Zelts split his shield into wingblades and attacked the bird's right wing, shattering it into tiny frozen pieces as the Grimm fell to its death. All of the airborne threats were eliminated so the pilot thought now was the best time to find a landing spot so the boys could reach their leader, but they already had a plan in mind. With Zelts in midair, Remus teleported himself and Silver to his location where Silver grabbed hold of Zelts again to perform Starfall, but this time, he hurled Zelts straight down with his mass increased greatly to have the biggest impact. Zelts began to use Conversion to absorb some of the dust in his shirt to make the impact even more devastating. Remus used Checkpoint once more to teleport himself and Silver to the ground.

Violet was on the ground dodging claw swipes from multiple Grimm. She tried to jump away from them, but one Beowolf was able to land a claw strike on her, knocking her into the ground before she recovered. Using the distance that last attack gifted, Violet threw several Enigmas with earth dust at the ground around them. The ground began to erupt stones that either pierced the Beowolves, sent them flying through the air, or stopped their momentum for a brief moment before more ran toward her. Violet was ready for a second bout, but the sound of gunfire and a bolt of energy passing by her disrupted her flow as it blew apart the ravaging pack. She looked behind her back to see Remus and Silver with their weapons aimed at the Grimm. Violet pulled her collar down to show she was smiling at them.

"I take it you guys are done then? Good, but where's Zelts?" Violet asked and she was answered by the two pointing up. She looked up to see Zelts falling into the area where she used earth dust to raise the earth. He fell down onto the stone structures like a missile, decimating the large rocks along with any Grimm in the vicinity and the impact was like an earthquake as it caused the very ground to shake. Violet looked on surprised how a single attack killed off almost all the Grimm, leaving only a handful of stragglers, and she clapped her hands to show she was impressed by her boys' tactics. She ran over to Zelts, who was a little shaken after falling from so high in the air and placed a hand on his shoulder to get him to focus on her. "You stay behind. Let us handle the rest."

She, Remus, and Silver ran headlong into battle while Zelts stayed behind to watch from his crater. He watched as Violet killed two Grimm with her Enigmas, Remus cutting down several with his swords and speed, and Silver shooting any Grimm that tried to run away with his sniper rifle. Zelts sat down in the ground as he watched his friends finish off the Grimm and how much they've grown as people since he first met them. All of them had grown individually and as a team. He could see how Violet changed from an introverted girl trying to prove she was the undisputed leader of this team to someone who could let go and be open with people, including herself. Remus was a naïve person with little understanding of the world until he grew and learned from all his experiences till he became his own person. Silver was a double agent who only thought about his own survival until he met the others and grew into someone who looked out for others. His gruff personality didn't changed that much, but he was better than he was before the team. Zelts was too happy for his friends to notice the airship land right behind him or that the others were finished with their battle.

"That took a lot of time out of our schedule, but we should keep going. Back onboard you guys," Violet said as they all went back into the ship and flew back to their original destination.

 **Setting: Patch**

The team finally made it to their destination, a small city where they could land and dock the airship. The next move for the team was to find a hotel or someplace equivalent to that for them to occupy for the next few days. They found an inn where they could stay and Violet paid for two rooms, one for her and the other for her boys and they spent the remainder of the night in their rooms asleep. Zelts stayed up the longest, thinking of how he was going to see Lily after all this time and how it made him feel both anxious and content.

* * *

 **The moment when Violet changed her hair in the bathroom is something I like to do with characters. I don't like the idea of having characters with static designs. They are like real people who are always changing. They'll change styles, clothes, appearance, etc.**

 **Violet is a tomboy. She doesn't like wearing girly stuff like skirts and prefers jeans, seeing them as more comfortable. She doesn't have a single skirt in her wardrobe and finds it odd when she sees female huntsmen fight in skirts.**

 **Zelts' Conversion allows him to absorb energy from a lot of different sources, but not from others. One specific thing that has a set of rules is fire. He can't absorb natural flames, but fire produced by dust or from an unnatural soucre like Grimm or something else can be absorbed.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Happy 4th of July everyone! I originally wasn't planning on posting the new chapter today, but it has been quite some time since I posted one so I thought it was time.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Entering The Tiger's Den**

 **Setting: Patch**

It was finally morning and the members of Team VRSZ woke up from their slumber and quickly got up to do what they intended to do in Patch, meet up with Lily, who doesn't know they are on the island. Violet and Zelts were outside the hotel waiting for Remus and Silver to come down. Silver was still in the hotel room getting his clothes on while Remus was in the lobby asking the receptionist about something specific. He asked her for the location of Signal Academy and she informs him that the academy is actually in this city, causing Remus to smile before thanking her for her help. Silver was actually downstairs when Remus got the information and was curious why he wanted to know. He walked up to his friend and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"What was that about? You interested in combat school?" Silver asked as they walked out the hotel. He didn't really see why Remus would want to go since he's already a powerhouse with more experience and combat skill than any student there.

"Kind of. There's just stuff I want to see there." Violet heard their conversation and added her voice.

"See what?" she asked her two teammates.

"Remus wants to check out Signal Academy. Guess he wants to know how the other side lives."

"Is that true?" Violet asked Remus.

"Hmm-mm," Remus said as he nodded. Violet saw no harm in his curiosity. None of them have ever been enrolled in an academy despite the fact that they can fight just as well as any huntsman. She and Zelts were self-taught warriors while Remus and Silver were taught by Dr. Lupa and Bianca respectively. Violet remembered how she used to spy on academies during her first years as an independent person. She sympathized with her friend and thought they could try to visit Signal Academy while they were there.

"Sure. We can go some other time, but for now, we have to go to Lily's place. Zelts has been waiting for this longer than any of us could know." Violet looked over to Zelts who was staring at the dirt road that lead out the city and into the woods where Lily's home was located. As they began to travel along the road, Violet and the others took notice of how Zelts was silently leading the team by walking in front of everyone.

 **Setting: House in the Woods**

The team walked through the peaceful woods for at least half an hour before finding a house along the left side of the road. None of them were all that sure if this was the right house or not because there were some people in Patch that lived independent from communities. Most likely because of the few Grimm that were on the island or because some of the residents were capable of defending themselves from attacks, most likely Lily's reason for living out here. Zelts walked up to the front door of the house and knocked on it, anxiously waiting for the resident to answer. The door opened and Zelts smiled the biggest smile he could when he saw the person on the other side.

"Lily," he said like he was experiencing a dream. He almost couldn't believe he was seeing her again.

Lily's physical appearance hasn't changed that much since she met the team. The young woman had tan skin and long black hair in a long French braided ponytail that reached down her neck. She still wore her orange shaolin kung-fu uniform that was stitched in way that the sleeve on the right was black. The uniform was orange except for the lining, black buttons, and the sole sleeve and she also wore a sleeveless black shirt beneath it. She abandoned her kung-fu pants for black leggings with a tiger print sash wrapped around her waist. The other difference from her previous appearance was she no longer had metal bracers on her arms anymore, probably to get rid of anything that reminded her of Never-End.

"Zelts?" she said, confused at first because of his sudden appearance, but it changed when she realized he was actually here. "Zelts!" She jumped over to him and Zelts had to open his arms to catch her. She grabbed hold of him and the two spun around in delight before stopping. Lily looked at him with loving eyes then closed them as she brought her face closer to his with parted lips.

"Lily I-" Zelts was stopped mid-sentence when Lily kissed him passionately which caught him off guard at first, but he kissed her back with the same vigor.

This beautiful moment was very awkward for the others. Violet felt like she was intruding so she looked away, but her eyes sometimes wandered back to the couple. Silver, on the other hand, pulled out his scroll and recorded the whole thing for everyone else back home to see. Remus looked on like it wasn't a really big deal, not that he didn't understand the intimacy of the moment, he just didn't see why it would be awkward for him to watch. He was just happy for his friend. No one was saying anything. Violet, blushing a deep shade of red out or embarrassment, looked around to see that Remus was completely unaffected by the scene, Silver was recording so he wasn't going to stop them anytime soon, and the couple didn't seem to be growing tired of kissing each other. In order to move things along, Violet let out a cough which caught Zelts' ear as he stopped kissing Lily to realize that his teammates were still there and he was the one that was embarrassed.

"Oh! Uh…umm… Lily! You remember my friends?" Zelts put her down to give themselves some distance and put his friends in her line of sight. "They came to see you too."

It was Lily's turn to feel flustered as she realized how long she was kissing Zelts. She quickly recomposed herself before talking to the others like that moment never happened. Violet was actually impressed with how she quickly played off the whole moment to address them.

"I'm sorry about that. I got a little caught up in the heat of the moment," she mumbled a little bit at the end because of embarrassment, but she pressed on, "A-anyway, it's good to see you all again. Hey Violet. I'm glad to finally meet you under better circumstances. You know, not in a prison cell or you on the run." Lily still felt awkward as she talked though Violet thought it was just fine. Lily talked to her informally, showing that she felt comfortable around her.

Lily looked over to Silver next and grinned at him while he seemed to scowl. They both remembered their last encounter was on the battlefield and how she single-handedly schooled both him and Remus. Their conversation after that left a sour taste in his mouth even though they were all being played by Jasper. Even after the whole fiasco, Silver always thought of Lily as someone who could one-up him easily so he was made it his plan to be on guard when being around her. Lily knew about his feelings toward her due to Zelts calling and texting her about his life. She found it amusing and decided that teasing him would be amusing.

She giggled when she eyed him then said, "Hello Silver. It's nice to see you again," she said in a teasing tone that Silver didn't like. He actually growled at her, much to her and Violet's amusement.

"Lily. Nice to see you're no longer trying to kill me. Guess Zelts helped take the psycho out of you."

Lily continued to giggle at Silver's immaturity and let the insults slide off her back. "Aww. Are you still afraid of me?"

"I-I'm not afraid of you! I've been afraid of you. Just noticed there were no sign of Grimm on the way here, now I can see why."

"You're right about that. I've killed any Grimm that would dare disturb my peaceful life. I may not be a contender in Never-End, but I'm still the same badass Tigress I used to be. Just decided to take the title and make it into something positive." Zelts was actually proud that Lily was taking the mantle of Tigress and using it for something good instead of letting the past shackle her and prevent her from moving on.

"So, you're still a scary monster?" Silver said with his arms crossed.

"Aha! You are scared!" Lily shouted and Silver was fumbling on his words. He didn't intend to word it that way, but he felt slightly overwhelmed by the young woman who always got the last word. He honestly thought she was like Bianca in moments like this. The fact that she left him speechless made Violet laugh to herself, but Silver heard her and glared at her in frustration. She looked over to Remus, but she was surprised to see the young boy was in her personal space with an odd look in his eyes. Lily had no idea why he seemed so enthusiastic, but her silent question was answered when Remus spoke.

"Lily! I'm ready for our rematch! Let's go, here and now." Lily was astonished that Remus wanted to fight or that he remembered their so-called promise. Actually, Lily was surprised she remembered what they talked about in the dungeon. She didn't feel like fighting him, but the anticipation in his eyes really got to her. Lily felt like she was stepping on someone's dream if she rejected his promise, not to mention the last time he was beaten to a broken pulp the last time she saw him so she felt obligated to fight him.

"Of…course Remus, but not now. It's too early in the morning so how about we duel later today?" she suggested and Remus was ecstatic that she agreed. The only other person he ever made a promise to fight with was with Blood and he used to try and duck out of their duels.

"Yes! I've been waiting for this. I'm ready to show you how strong I've gotten," Remus shouted with excitement.

"Well, come in everyone." Lily motioned for everyone to come inside her home and they all went in. Lily's home was very nice and very simple. She had a living room with a beautiful rug, a sofa for four, a coffee table, a fireplace, and a television. The kitchen could be seen from the living room and it was smaller than theirs, but it served its purpose. There were three doors leading to unknown rooms and there was an upstairs that they suspected led to Lily's bedroom.

"This place is amazing Lily." Zelts said as he walked in. His teammates followed suit with Silver claiming a seat on the couch. Violet looked around and agreed with Zelts' statement, making Lily happy that she liked her place. Besides Zelts, Lily didn't have other people to talk to, except for the people she regularly meets in the city, so getting along with the others was her top priority. Remus and Violet were sure things and so was Silver, she just needed a different approach when it came to him.

The group enjoyed each other's company as they did nothing but hang out and talk about life. Violet asked Lily why she moved. She remembered Zelts telling her Lily first took up residence in Mistral, but decided to change locations for some reason. Lily informed it was because of the atmosphere of the land. She feared that something big was going to happen in Mistral and thought it was best if she left rather than stay and be swept into the foreboding chaos. Violet and Zelts didn't understand what she meant by ominous, but they didn't care. It wasn't their problem and Zelts was just happy that Lily was closer to home. Time flew by in Lily's home and her relationship with Team VRSZ grew with every passing moment. Violet and Lily were getting along very well. Violet actually thought of Lily like Clair, an older sister though one that won't try to kiss her every second. Remus enjoyed being in her company and vice versa. He was the same funny, goofy kid she met and she was truly glad for him that he didn't let the merciless beating he received from Chrome haunt him. Lily found Silver to be the most amusing because of their back and forth. She thought of him as a younger brother she liked to annoy every now and then. Whether Silver felt the same way was unknown to her, but the fact that he never openly complained or ignored her proved he somewhat took pleasure in their exchanges. Zelts was happy that Lily was making great strides with his team, but he was just happy being with her again.

Violet looked at her scroll, realizing a lot of time passed because they arrived at nine in the morning and it's currently 4:30. She thought now was a good time for her to put her plan into action. She got up from the couch and said, "Remus, Silver, it's time for us to go."

"What the- we're leaving?" Silver asked, very confused about Violet's suggestion and he wasn't the only one. Everyone was surprised by what she said, especially Lily, who thought Violet actually disliked being with her.

"Yes, we are. We're going to leave and give these two some privacy. I'm sure this is fun for them, but I think some _'alone time'_ is what they were really hoping for." Silver didn't get it at first, but her words connected in his head and he completely understood what she meant.

"Ooooohhhhh…hehehe…right, _'alone time'_. I hear ya," Silver said with a devious smile. The couple understood what they were talking about and they blushed a little. They looked at each other then quickly looked away as their faces got redder. Everyone acknowledged the situation, except for Remus who looked somewhat upset that they were leaving.

"B-but I didn't get to fight Lily," he complained like a child and continued. "We made a promise. Can't they have alone time with me?" Violet walked over and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to the front door.

"We're here for a few days so you guys can fight later. Zelts has been waiting to see her much longer than you wanting to fight her, and I reeeally doubt they want you around as they enjoy each other's company," Violet answered as they reached the door.

Lily and Zelts tried to protest because they didn't like the how awkward Violet made the atmosphere and it was only going to get worse with them leaving, but neither of them could form a sentence. On the surface, they didn't want to be left alone, but deep down they both knew this was also something they really wanted. They'd preferred it if Violet wasn't leading them to it. Silver put his hand on Zelts' shoulder and gave him a look with a hidden message. Zelts' expression was between confusion and not wanting to acknowledge his friend's message at all. Silver walked and exited through the front door while Violet dragged Remus there. He exited first, leaving their leader to turn her head to the couple and wink before leaving. When the door closed, Violet was blushing as well because she was trying not to picture what they would do next. She and the rest of her boys got back on the dirt road and walked back to the city.

Zelts and Lily were standing in the same spots they were when the team left. The atmosphere was very hard to describe, but the silence put some pressure on the duo. Zelts had no idea what to do next or what Lily was thinking, neither of them were talking. After a few short moments of silence, Zelts thought they should try to get things back to normal, but Lily grabbed onto his hand. He looked at her to see her face was a little red and her eyes were focused on him, and for some reason, his body felt like it was on fire and he was starting to breath heavily. They didn't say a word, but their fingers began to intertwine as their faces got closer to one another.

 **Setting: Dirt Trail**

Violet and her boys were leisurely making their way back to Patch. She was minding her own business until Silver poked her in the shoulder to get her attention. His expression showed that he wanted to talk about the things that may be occurring back at Lily's house. Violet really didn't want to get into details about it, so she planned to answer in short sentences.

"I didn't know you liked playing love doctor. You practically set the mood for all sorts of things to happen. Color me surprised," Silver said to Violet.

"Hmm," was the response he received from her and he assumed that she didn't want to talk about it. Violet wasn't one to pry into a couple's personal life, even her teammates. "Not one for gossip?" Silver asked.

"Not really. I would've given you and Bianca the same privacy."

"What do Silver and Bianca need privacy for?" Remus asked. The other two didn't want to explain to him what couples do when they're alone and want to be intimate.

"It's complicated Remus. People who are together do things they wouldn't normally do when around others," Violet explained to Remus, but the arched eyebrow showed he didn't understand.

"What do you mean? Silver and Bianca are alone sometimes and they don't do anything different from what they usually do," he said and Silver widened his eyes at his friend's statement.

"Hey! We do things! A bunch of different things when we're alone," Silver said rather defensively, causing Violet to roll her eyes at his vulgar comment. "What do you know about what we do?"

"Bianca told me," Remus answered and Silver was shocked. Violet was on the verge of laughing.

"What?"

"Yeah, she said you guys don't do anything different except go on dates. She also said you're pretty lazy and like to lounge around the apartment a lot." Violet was laughing, no longer trying to suppress it, leaving Silver feeling humiliated because Bianca was telling Remus the truth.

"Shut up! Like you understand being in a relationship!" Silver barked and Remus didn't say anything else because Silver was right. Remus hasn't been in any kind of relationship before so he doesn't really know how they're supposed to work and he wasn't trying to insult Silver in any way, he was just repeating what Bianca told him. Silver knew that, but still felt some kind of way about the statement, Violet's laughing didn't help.

"Ahaha, enough boys before someone says something they regret," Violet said, ending the conversation.

"So, where are we going?" Silver asked their leader.

"We're just going to look around the city. Take in the sights and enjoy ourselves. Technically this is a vacation," Violet answered with a smile. Her boys seemed fine with this decision since they were no complaints as they made their way back to the city.

 **Setting: Patch**

Violet and her boys were traversing through the city. They checking the sights and went into different kinds of shops to check out the merchandise. Violet stopped by a local dust shop to see if a different nation had any diverse dust she couldn't find in Vacuo. Silver was eyeing a clothing store and found a few things he liked. When he emerged from the store, he was wearing a new pair of black pinstriped pants and a black fedora that covered most of his hair except for the few Silver spikes that looked like bangs. He looked more like a member of the mafia with this look. Violet and Remus got a good look at him and came to a conclusion.

"You look like a thug," Violet said then added, "The hat is too much."

Silver took the hat off then looked at it for a while before putting it back on and saying, "I know. Besides, I'm not a hat guy anyway. I just bought it because it looked cool."

"It's your money, do whatever you with it," Violet said. They continued touring the city before deciding to dine at a restaurant. The day passed by quickly as the sun began to set. The trio were sitting at their table as they waited for their food to arrive. Everyone seemed to enjoy their day, save for Remus who seemed to be disgruntled about something based on the fact that he lowered his head till it was on the table.

"What's up your ass?" Silver asked. Violet didn't agree with his way of asking, but she was wondering the same thing since he seemed to be having fun today.

"…I didn't get to fight Lily or go to Signal today," Remus answered with a groan.

"Oh, you didn't get to do either," Violet said feeling pretty bad that she didn't let him go to Signal academy. His desire for a rematch against someone who bested him in battle is something she could understand, but the curiosity with a combat academy was new.

"We'll go first thing tomorrow. I promise," she said and Remus' mood immediately did a complete 180. He was smiling and full of energy again.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this. Are you sure we should take him there?" Silver whispered in Violet's ear.

"It's Remus. How much trouble can he get in at a combat school?" Violet countered, but Silver looked at her like she was stupid.

"It's Remus at a combat school. There's no telling what he'll do. He might want to fight every single student and teacher there," Silver said. Violet thought about it and realized he was right. Remus was capable of anything, at least she and Silver will be there to prevent any unnecessary trouble. Their dinner finally arrived and the three friends ate together.

"Hey," Silver asked Violet while eating. "It's getting pretty late. Are we supposed to wait for Zelts to get back or are we going back to Lily's?"

"Neither. While we were out, I changed our rooms. We're on the first floor now. You and Remus have a two-bed bedroom now. I don't think Zelts will mind now that he's with Lily."

"Hehehe. You're probably right."

After finishing up their dinner, the trio returned to their rooms to sleep the rest of the night away, and with Zelts staying with Lily, Remus and Silver didn't have to play rock-paper-scissors over who had to sleep on the room's couch. The two were comfortably sleeping in their own beds, Violet was sound asleep in her own room, and in Lily's home, she and Zelts were sleeping together in her bed.

The sun rose from the horizon, showing the dawn of a new day as the citizens of Patch woke to start their day, all except the team who were free to sleep in. That was the plan, but something interrupted it. It was ten in the morning and Violet was still sleeping in bed until she was woken by someone knocking on her door. Still in her tank top and purple pajama pants, she got up from her mattress, marched over to the door, pretty upset about waking up too soon, and opened the door. On the other side of the door was Silver.

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked with a mix of drowsiness and impatience. She didn't know why Silver was here and really wanted to get this over with so she could go back to sleep.

Silver peeked inside her room to survey the area and said, "So he's not here with you. I was almost expecting it."

"Who?"

"Remus." Violet blushed when he said his name and the accusation that accompanied it.

"W-Why would Remus be here!? There's absolutely no reason for him, you, or anyone else to be here with me!" Silver only stared at her like she grew a second head. The small outburst was surprising from the usual level-headed leader of VRSZ.

 _"_ _Damn, I didn't mean to imply she was looking for a bed mate. Better choose my words more carefully next time. She might cut my head off,"_ Silver thought.

"That's too bad, because Remus isn't in our room." This statement bewildered Violet. It wasn't like Remus to get up and leave without notifying any of them about his whereabouts.

"He's not in the bathroom?" she asked, but Silver shook his head.

"Nope, I checked. This isn't Fortuna. If he's not in the hotel, then he's somewhere in the city going who knows where."

"Actually, we can make a good guess of where he's going," Violet said and Silver looked at her confused for a minute but realized what she meant. "Where's the one place he really wanted to go to?"

"Signal Academy," Silver answered, then asked, "But why? What's his endgame?"

* * *

 **In terms of strength, Tigress is on par with Blood and Bianca, so she's a very strong fighter. Her time out of Never-End didn't diminish her capabilities either. It's mostly thanks to her job as a huntsman for hire, eradicating any Grimm that come near the city. and her other job as a part-time training instructor at Signal Academy. A fight between her and Zelts would be 50/50. One would win or the other so they're both pretty much even in battle and no decisive winner could be made.**

 **If the members of VRSZ were regular highschool students, they would have taken up hobbies and clubs based on their preferences. Violet would've taken Judo or some other form of martial arts, Remus would've done soccer, Silver would've chosen basketball, and Zelts would have the option of chess club or football, but I think he would've chosen chess.**

 **While Team VRSZ is away, Grayson is taking on several missions while also trying to get others to join his ranks. He's made a few contacts with fellow mercenaries that will help him as long as he pays them, but that's a gamble. Grayson will only pay those who were successful, prove to be useful in future jobs, or are too powerful for him to kill. Those unable to meet this criteria are either cut down or left behind.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Favorite Student**

 **Setting: Signal Academy**

Remus was on the academy grounds, surveying the area around him. It was what he expected a real combat academy to be; buildings, students, and fields for students to study, train, or do whatever. He looked around with a grin on his face as he watched all the students passed by, some giving him peculiar looks. Remus was a new face on campus and he was seventeen, passed the usual age for huntsmen in training to be in combat school. If he were actually a student, he would've been to one of the real academies by now. He heard the sound of a bell then noticed how all the students were heading inside the various academic buildings and he followed suit, walking toward the main building since it was the best place to start. He trekked through the hallways along with the few straggler students that rushed to their classrooms. He peeked through every door to check every classroom for what he was looking for. A couple of students and staff members glanced at him, but paid him no mind, thinking he was either a student or a visitor so they didn't bother him or ask why he was on school grounds. Remus didn't find his goal, but he was patiently searching with a small smile because the destination was worth the journey and he finally made it.

He looked through the door of a large classroom that was actually a lecture hall. The board in room featured the mechanics of weapons and different styles of combat, something he was familiar with. Peering into the room, Remus' eyes widened with surprise and excitement as he found his target, his former instructor and pseudo-faunus mother, Niveus Lupa. He quietly entered the lecture hall and waited in the background for the class to be finished. Hearing her talk to her students about combat maneuvers and tactics reminded him his time as the Delta, being under her care, training under her tutelage, and learning everything he could from her. It actually reminded him about the time they shared in their year-long travel around Remnant and thinking back made him smile. It was still the middle of class, so Lupa still had a half hour of teaching left to do and Remus was dead set on staying out of sight until it was over, but by sheer chance, Lupa was surveying the classroom, looking at the faces of her students, then happened to catch a glimpse of Remus. She was in the middle of speaking so she paused when she saw him, looking very surprised, but she smiled warmly at him before going back to her lecture.

The students left after class was over. There were several students who stayed behind to speak with Lupa about more personal topics and she seemed more than happy to talk with them. Many of their faces showed admiration, joy, and enthusiasm, emotions Lupa seemed to express back to her students, showing that she really enjoyed doing this. Once everyone was finally out of the classroom, Remus immediately teleported from the door to Lupa's side with a big smile. Lupa wrapped her arms around the young man to give him a hug and he gave one right back.

"It's good to see you again Remus," Lupa said as she pulled away from her protégé.

"Dr. Lupa," Remus said, but Lupa shook her head. He tilted his head in confusion until she corrected him.

"It's Professor Lupa now. I'm not a scientist anymore. I got a job as a combat professor in Signal. I told you this before."

"Yeah, I know. It's just not that easy to get used to after calling you doctor after all this time, but I'll try. How's life as a professor, _Prof. Lupa_ ," Remus said, emphasizing the proper use of her name which made Lupa giggle.

"Very great. I was worried at first about getting a job in a training academy, but it has been a smooth transition. It's not much different from raising you, except with more students and no life or death struggle. I actually like having young pupils to teach." Lupa looked at Remus and noticed his face was different. It changed from happy to pouty and she had a good guess why.

"Are they- I mean…do you like any of them…uh..."

Lupa knew what he was trying to ask and she couldn't help but giggle before answering his poorly formed question. "No Remus, none of them are. No matter how many students enroll in my classes, you will always be my favorite student." Her words seemed to assuage any doubts he had about being replaced based on his smile returning to his face. She was glad that he was better, but noticed something about his attire. "Remus, what happened to the sleeve of your shirt?" Remus looked at the sleeve that was ripped and how it showed most of his arm.

"Oh, actually, that happened after I left to go back to Fortuna. It didn't bother me at all so I never got it fixed. I kind of like it." Lupa shook her head with a small smile before reaching for what remained of his sleeve. She carefully ripped the last pieces of fabric off, leaving Remus with his cobalt blue compression shirt with the left sleeve completely gone while keeping the long sleeve of the right. "There, that looks much less damaged."

Before either of them could say anything else, Lupa's scroll went off and she picked it up. "My next class is starting soon so I have to go-" she paused then looked at Remus for a second before saying, "Actually, would you like to help me with my next class?" she asked and Remus grinned.

 **Setting: School Grounds**

Lupa's next class was taking place outside the school for the purpose of training. The students had their weapons and were waiting for Lupa's instructions on what to do next. Some of them were looking at their professor while others were staring at Remus who was a newcomer at Signal Academy. A few students, the ones trying to be teacher's pet, seemed to be jealous of the familiarity between Remus and Lupa. The faunus professor clapped to get the attention of her students so she could tell them what they were going to do for class.

"Alright everyone, before we start today's class I'd to introduce everyone to Remus Cobalt. He's one of my first students and my star pupil." Remus smiled and puffed his chest out as he got full of himself from Lupa's small praise. The students noticed and some looked pretty upset that Lupa was praising someone who not only showed up out of nowhere, but also had close ties to her. Lupa continued speaking, "Remus is going to help everyone with their training today. This will be a special lesson where you learn to deal with overwhelming odds. You will all do your best to defeat Remus in combat and you are to use your weapons, tactics, teamwork, anything at your disposal to bring him down. And to make matters a bit fairer, Remus, no extreme force nor you can't use your weapon against them so hand he Romulus." Remus did as she said and handed her his staff.

Almost all her students were perplexed at the conditions of this fight. It seemed totally one-sided and they weren't sure how Remus could be okay with such a disadvantage. One student actually rose her hand to address their concerns with Lupa who allowed the girl to ask her question.

"I-I don't think this is a good idea Prof. Lupa. This doesn't seem fair for Remus. Fighting all of us at once, how is he supposed to beat that?" Lupa couldn't help but laugh at the question and Remus started to giggle a little for the same reason, but it did nothing more than confuse everyone else.

"I think you misunderstand. I said this was a lesson to teach you about dealing with overwhelming odds and I meant it. Even without his weapon, Remus can definitely defeat all of the students in this academy." Remus started stretching his body so he could get warmed up and the statement seemed to infuriate or shock the young students. "Now then, let's begin," Lupa said to begin the match.

Remus punched the palm of his hand, smiled devilishly, and said, "I'll say this right now Prof. Lupa, I'm too overleveled for them. I'm gonna run down all your new students." None of the students were happy with his little declaration and they were prepared to bring him down.

 **Setting: Signal Academy**

Violet and Silver finally made it to Signal Academy after leaving the hotel to search for their missing friend. The duo stopped at the entrance before surveying the area. Violet was exasperated because of the unnecessary manhunt they had to do first thing in the morning. Silver touched her on the shoulder to get her attention before saying, "We're here, so we better start asking around," Violet said followed by a sigh.

"I don't like this any better than you do, but we both know he'll get into trouble if we leave him be," Silver said to Violet. However,the moment Silver spoke, he and Violet saw several students armed with weapons running across the front yard of the school and Remus teleported in front of them, dashing toward the large crowd. He kicked a couple of students and used palm strikes to attack a dozen students before any of them could counterattack. A student with a large club tried to swing at Remus from behind only to hit the ground as blue smoke was the only thing left of Remus. He teleported behind the boy, grabbed him by the shoulders, and tossed him into the other students before fighting the others. The battle began to move to another location on campus, from the school entrance to the right wing of the property.

Violet and Silver just looked with a tired look in their eyes because they knew this was going to happen. This was the exact thing they predicted would happen if Remus was left alone and they weren't even mad at him, they were more upset with themselves for not preventing it. "Should we go after him?" Silver asked rhetorically, but Violet's gaze was somewhere else.

"Vi?" Violet ignored Silver's call and walked over to the training grounds of the academy where Lupa was waiting for the class to end. The faunus was listening for the sound of the battle, but heard the sound of footsteps from behind. She turned around to see Violet standing behind her with her arms crossed and a looked pretty peeved at seeing the faunus woman again, but Lupa was over her fear of the young woman.

"I expected to see you here, though I thought Remus would bring you along when he got here. Guess he was worried about the two of us meeting again." Violet remained silent as Lupa spoke. She still wasn't fond of the former scientist because of the things she did to Remus in his younger years, but he kept telling her to trust Lupa, so she'll refrain from saying any unfriendly words though she was having a hard time saying something nice. "You have the scroll I made for you?" Lupa asked.

Violet didn't expect her to turn the conversation to a topic like her scroll. Violet pulled it out and showed it to her saying, "Yeah, I have it. You want it back or something?"

"No… I'm sure Remus told you about the special function I added into the scroll. Hopefully you didn't have to use it," Lupa said as she turned to Violet.

"…No, fortunately, Remus hasn't been put in a situation where his signal needed to go off. He's gotten stronger," Violet said. Silver walked over to Violet, but saw that Lupa was there as well. He knew from their last encounter that this could be ugly and he didn't want to be a part of whatever comes next. He casually turned around and left the way he came.

"I know, I trained him after all." After Lupa said that, the sound of an explosion could be heard from the distance. The massive battle was still going on, but there were fewer students still standing. A lot of them were scattered across school grounds completely unconscious. Remus was running through the massive crowd of kids. Sucker punching some while dodging the attacks of others. After he finished running circles around them, he jumped onto the roof of a building and started running again as some students used their firearms to shoot him down, but none of them were fast enough to land a hit. Silver decided to follow the chaos to cheer Remus on because he didn't want to be with the women, completely unaware of their new status quo, plus he found the fighting to be more entertaining. Remus teleported from his perch on the building into the air above one of the students where he dived down and slammed a palm strike on the kid's head, effectively knocking the aura, and the student, out. He dashed toward another one with another palm strike, ready to hit her. The girl guarded herself, but the impact never came. Remus used Checkpoint at the last second to teleport away when he was right in front of her then reappeared behind a group of stragglers that wanted to play it safe and attacked them.

"I take it this is you're doing?" Violet asked in an almost humorous tone. She could admit to herself that the battle was something to behold.

"Yes, I thought this would be a good learning experience for my students. Their egos were pretty swelled because I was able to help them improve their fighting capabilities, but they have to learn the same thing I taught Remus in our travels; No matter how strong you are, there will always be someone better. It helps him strive to get better and I'm hoping the same message in embedded in the students." Violet thought about what Lupa said for a while and agreed. That was a viewpoint Remus saw when it came to fighting.

"A good teaching moment-" Violet was interrupted by Remus knocking a random student far back across the field. The student skidded on the ground in front of the two women. "Though I think it will hurt the pride of your students," Violet continued.

"The ones who are able to stand back up after a crushing defeat are the ones worth teaching. This will also help weed out the ones with weak willpower," Lupa answered as she watched the last few students fall in defeat. She turned her gaze to Violet.

"How has he been now that he's returned home? Remus texts and calls me every once in a while, but I'd like to know from you. Get someone else's perspective."

"Besides combat, Remus has been doing very well. He's gotten more…I guess insightful is the best word to describe it. He lost most of his naivete, meaning you did more than just train him. Despite his growth, he's still the same fun-loving, curious person he was when I first met him and I'm thankful for that." Lupa was surprised. This was the closest thing to a compliment she ever received from Violet and that meant their relationship made significant progress.

"Soooo…does Remus…have someone special in his life now?" Lupa asked and it was Violet's turn to be surprised. This was not a topic she thought she would ever discuss, especially with Lupa, but it did make her curious. Violet has never seen Remus take an interest in anyone and she wondered if he was keeping it a secret or if he actually liked anyone at all. He was really hard to read sometimes, even for her. The question will have to go unanswered as she and Lupa heard Remus shout that he defeated everyone.

"Prof. Lupa! I beat everyone! Is the lesson ov-" Remus stopped talking when he saw Violet. He realized that he kept his plan to see Lupa a secret from his teammates and this may have angered Violet. He was used to seeing her angry at Silver, but being on the receiving end was completely different and he was scared.

Lupa laughed at his expression and said, "Forever my favorite student."

"Ummm…hi Violet," Remus said as he slowly approached to two women who were eyeing him. He suddenly felt added weight on his shoulders as Silver wrapped his arm around him. The gunman was smirking and chuckling nonstop.

"Man, that was awesome! You were like a one-man army, kicking pre-teen ass! Totally worth the walk here." Silver looked over at Violet and saw she wasn't as happy as he was, so he uncurled his arm from Remus and walked away backwards. "Oh, and Violet might be pissed about 'all this' so, bye." Silver walked over to the entrance of Signal to stay out of the line of fire.

Violet had her arms on her hips and a stern look when Remus walked toward her with his head hanging low. She clearly ould tell he felt very bad about not telling her and she forgave him before he even came near her, but Violet wanted to milk this for a while. Remus always wore his emotions on his face so everyone knew what he was feeling. Violet liked seeing this side of him squirm and try to regain her favor. She really found it funny how he tried to look her in the eyes, but averted his gaze like a puppy in trouble. This was spruning her sadistic side.

"Remus, is there something you'd like to tell me?" Violet asked like a she was scolding a child and it seemed to make Remus seem more on edge, making this fun for her and Lupa.

"I-I'm really sorry. I should've told you, but I was afraid you'd get mad and wouldn't let me see Dr- I mean Prof. Lupa. You guys aren't on good terms, so…" Remus sighed because he couldn't find any way to sway the fact that he had a secret agenda. "Never mind, I messed up. I'm very, very sorry Violet. Are you…mad at me?" Violet had enough fun. She could clearly see that Remus was repentant about the whole thing and if she pushed him anymore he might break. She placed a hand on his shoulder so he would look at her face.

"Lighten up. I'm not mad at you at all. If anything, I'm impressed you actually kept a secret like this without any of us figuring it out. And I understand why you didn't tell _me_ about this. If anything, it proves that my past interactions with Lupa were less than ideal, something you obviously picked up on, which is why you kept it this meeting to yourself." Violet stopped talking to look at Remus, who no longer looked pitiful, but now had a curious look.

"Don't worry, Lupa and I are on good terms now, so no more dancing around us, okay?" Violet grinned to show Remus that her words rang true and he smiled back to show he wasn't afraid anymore.

"So, everything's fine?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yeah-" Before Violet could continue, Silver approached them with his newly bought fedora in his hand though the hat was sporting some new bullet holes. Silver was no longer enthralled by the previous fight now that he realized his innocent purchase was an unnecessary casualty. He had a scowl as he looked at his destroyed hat.

"Can we go?" he asked in a deadpan tone. "I don't want to be here anymore." Silver didn't even wait for a reply as he left for Signal's entrance gate. Violet thought it was time for them to go, but a thought came to her mind, a kind gesture she could do for Remus and Lupa.

"If you want Remus, you can stay here a little longer to hang out with Lupa," Violet told Remus.

"Are you sure it's alright?" he asked but knew she was going to say yes, which she confirmed by nodding.

"Go have your fun, schoolboy," Violet answered with a grin.

Remus ran over to the entrance to let Silver know, though the gunslinger couldn't care less now that his gift to Bianca was ruined. Lupa stood beside Violet to get her attention. The air between them was no longer tense, showing they truly have started over. "I'm glad we can put the past behind us. We have put it behind us, Violet?" Lupa asked to make sure. Violet was willing to give it a chance, but she wanted to mess with Lupa one last time, also because teasing Remus wasn't enough to quell her sadistic streak.

"Well, there's one thing I'd like for you to do in order to make things better. Just a small favor," Violet said and it interested Lupa _. "Okay, this may be a bit harsh, even for her, but better her than me,"_ Violet thought to herself before she continued.

"There's something that Remus has had a very difficult time learning. If you could help him with this one thing, then we'll be okay, maybe even friends."

"Name it," Lupa said with more enthusiasm than Violet expected. She felt very bad about what she was going to put the wolf faunus through.

 **Setting: Dirt Trail**

Violet and Silver were walking on the trail that would lead them back to Lily's home. Silver finally trashed his hat, but he was still moping. It was actually beginning to annoy Violet, so she elbowed him in the arm to get him out of his funk. He cried in pain, but she knew he was faking because she didn't hit him that hard, but it didn't stop him from whining about it.

"Why'd you do that? Now my arm hurts," Silver whined in an annoying pitch that grated on Violet's ears.

"Stop bitching. It's just a hat."

"…Whatever, so you left Remus at that academy?" Silver asked.

"Didn't seem like he wanted to leave and a day in school doesn't sound so bad. Lupa's with him so he won't be doing anything drastic."

"Classes, homework, and pop quizzes, sounds like he'll have a full day."

"Yeah, that and a little extra," Violet teased, piquing Silver's interest.

"Extra? What did you do?"

"I told Lupa that Remus needed some help learning how to drive. I thought it was better she tried than us. After multiple attempts at trying to teach him, and multiple times almost dying, I thought it was best someone else be his driving instructor."

"You just sentenced Lupa to her death. And I thought you guys were square," Silver accused, but he had an amused tone that Violet picked up on. They both snickered at the twisted scheme Violet concocted, but didn't want to think of the horrors the scholarly faunus was experiencing with Remus behind the wheel of the Fantasia.

 **Setting: Lily's Home**

Silver knocked on Lily's front door, and the duo waited for a response which came in the form of Lily answering the door, however her attire was different. She was wearing her black leggings, but her upper body was wrapped in Zelts' green samurai robe along with his scarf around her neck. Lily recognized them and immediately blushed. Violet knew the possibility of this happening, but she was still not mentally prepared to see it. She was a little frazzled that Lily didn't try to hide it while Silver chuckled.

"Wow! …Wow! Are you guys kidding me!? It's…it's four in the freaking afternoon and you guys were still in bed doing who knows what! Oh who am I kidding, we all know what! Where's Zel-" Silver peeked past an embarrassed Lily to see Zelts emerge from a room, most likely Lily's bedroom, with no shirt on. "There he is! The boy has become a man!" Silver's jeering was making everyone very uncomfortable.

"Shut up." The only reply Zelts could muster before he put his shirt on and approached the door. Violet couldn't look him in the eyes or in his general direction because of his nightly actions. It was embarrassing that she seemed so immature, but she has never dealt with this kind of situation before. Silver was the only one unfazed by this and it bothered her because he was the most immature member.

"Um, maybe we should come back tomorrow," Violet offered, focusing on Lily instead of Zelts.

"No, no, please come in. Just…give us time to change." Lily dashed to her room with her face red and slammed the door, leaving Zelts at the front door with his teammates. He could see that Violet couldn't look at him and Silver couldn't stop smiling, something that Zelts didn't like.

"Hey Zelts," Silver called out.

"What."

"So you guys had sex." Saying it out loud somehow made it even more awkward Zelts and especially fo Violet, who walked away from the entrance because her body was burning from being flustered. "We can leave if you want so you can, ahem, play on player. But you gotta give me the details later." Silver nudged Zelts' shoulder, but he wasn't having it.

Zelts didn't like Silver's cocky attitude toward this. He was actually thinking of having him leave. You know what Silver? You can-"

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of screeching tires could be heard in the distance. The Fantasia was coming into view, it was moving incredibly fast, and looked like it was going to drive through Lily's house. Zelts was about to get his Heart of Gold, but it wasn't on his person. He just remembered he left it in Lily's bedroom, something he didn't want to bring up because he knew Silver would make fun of him, but he didn't need it. The Fantasia began to spin out of control before finally stopping in front of Violet and Silver. It almost tipped over, but the car landed on its wheels.

"Hey guys!" Remus said from the driver's seat. "I went on a drive with Prof. Lupa. Oh, how did I do?" he asked the faunus who was more frazzled than she expected. Her long whited hair in disarray, along with her tail, and she was gripping the dashboard with her nails and teeth, leaving scratch marks. It took her awhile t recompose herself and she was finally able to speak.

"…You did…fine, but your control needs a little work. You have a bit of a lead foot." It was the kindest thing she could think of saying without screaming at Remus. Violet did this as a jest, but felt bad after seeing Lupa like this. It was too much even for her.

"Lupa's here?" Zelts asked.

It's a long story," Violet answered because she felt like a lot of things have happened back to back. The sudden insanity actually calmed her down and she was able to look at Zelts again without feeling flustered.

* * *

 **Remus actually spent the next few hours as a student in Signal. He took a pop quiz on weapon mechanics and Abstract Algebra and got the highest score in the class, a 97, but Lupa wasn't happy. She personally taught him different, complex subjects like this and knew he could've a perfect score. Feeling like he's been slacking since he left her side, she decided to personally tutor him on these difficult subjects. Remus wasn't too fond of that, but refused to say anything because he knew he had no say in the matter.**

 **Remus' conquest against Signal's students earned him a reputation as Lupa's monster student and a rumor that if a student disobeyed Lupa, she would call him to deal with any insurgents. It also proved how effective a training professor Lupa was, making her more popular with the students. Actually, word would soon begin to spread beyond Patch and to some corners of Remnant, something that would a negative effect on both Remus and Lupa in the future.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Power Couple Part 1**

 **Setting: Lily's Home**

The members of Team VRSZ were still spending their time at Lily's home in the woods of Patch. Violet and Silver were already at her residence with Zelts living there. The group was surprised by the unexpected visit of Remus and Lupa as the duo drove up to the home in the Fantasia. Lupa was helping her Delta improve his driving abilities, but she was not mentally prepared for the dangerous and chaotic way Remus drives a car and because of that, she wasn't ready to get back into the Fantasia and head home. The faunus professor decided to stay with the others until she felt equipped to get back in the vehicle, but she was certain she would have nightmares about the experience. Her presence in the home wasn't awkward thanks to Remus being very forth coming about her arrival. She was able to meet Lily who was fully aware of her backstory thanks to Zelts texting and calling her, and luckily for Lupa, Lily didn't have any ill feelings toward her. She welcomed the professor into her home as a guest.

"Silver, I'm sorry to interrupt, but what are you doing?" Lupa asked as she watched Silver sitting on the ground in front of the house. His face was very strained and his grunting was very hard to ignore, which was probably the reason he was outside where there were fewer people. The only ones outside were those two and Remus who was training with Romulus.

"I'm trying to fly," Silver responded without looking at her. He continued to grumble until he gave up and just sat in the dirt looking frustrated at another failure to get off the ground.

"Fly?" the response Lupa gave him along with a confused look.

"I've been trying to do it ever since our fight with Romul- I mean Alpha. It copied my semblance and took it to the next level by flying, something I never thought I could do until I saw someone else do it with my own eyes. And if the Alpha can do it, then so can I, but it's really not easy." Silver opened up to Lupa, feeling he was out of options anyway. Zelts' method of meditating helped for a short while, but it stopped working after multiple attempts. Now he was doing whatever he could to try to fly and nothing was working. "If you have any advice, I'll take it," he said to Lupa who put thought into what she would say next.

"Your semblance is Gravity control correct? You're able to manipulate your own personal gravity and the things you touch," Lupa said and Silver confirmed with a nod. That was basically the gist of his semblance. "…It's only my opinion, but I think the main problem with your dilemma is that your semblance is Gravity and your focused solely on flying."

"What do you mean?" Silver asked, not sure what she was trying to say.

"Your idea of flight is quite different from what your semblance is capable of. Instead of trying to fly right from the start, practice on levitation first. That'll be a good starting point for advance manipulation in gravity. Based on what I've of your abilities so far, your semblance is very versatile, it all depends on how far you wish to test its limits."

"…Testing limits. Sounds like something you'd say to Remus," Silver said while pondering her words.

"He has taken them to heart and is still getting stronger every time I see him. The same can be applied to anyone, even you." Lupa's encouraging words got to Silver. He was thinking about how she was right about him trying to fly right from the start instead of taking baby steps.

 _"_ _She trained Remus, so she knows a thing or two about this stuff,"_ Silver thought to himself. He decided to give it a shot, not that it hurt to try it her way and he personally couldn't think of anything else to do. Silver positioned himself so his legs were crossed when he sat. He closed his eyes ready to begin, only to open them again because he had no idea how to begin his attempt. "Um…how do I do this?" he asked Lupa.

"Start with mass manipulation. Just think of making yourself as light as you can then try to go even further."

Silver sat down, closed his eyes, and did exactly what Lupa told him. He filled his thoughts with levitating, floating, being untethered to the ground, to the very earth itself. He wasn't trying to meditate like Zelts taught him to do, but he found himself breathing rhythmically as he thought about levitating. Silver wasn't sure it was working, but it did make him feel weightless.

"Silver, open your eyes Silver," Lupa called out to him.

"Yeah?" Silver looked over to her, but noticed something different. His view of Lupa was at a higher angle. Silver looked down to see that he wasn't sitting on the ground anymore, he was hovering above it. Silver looked shocked at what he was levitating three feet of the ground. His face was expressing shock and awe, but no audible sound was made as his mouth moved, like his voice was lagging a few seconds behind.

"O-OH! HOLY SHIT! I'M FLOATING! YES! FINALLY! I'M DOING IT!" Silver was ecstatic that he was finally off the ground. He couldn't contain how happy he was that he was finally able to levitate after all those months of trying. "Remus, check this out!"

Remus stopped training to look at Silver floating in the air. He smiled greatly at the feat Silver just accomplished before running over. "Wow!" Remus said as he looked at his semi-flying teammate. "You finally did it Silver! You're flying!"

"Eh, er…not flying techinically. I'm still working on that, but yeah, I'm off the ground. And I have Lupa to thank. I couldn't have done it without you Doc," Silver said to the smiling wolf faunus.

"You're welcome Silver. Helping people get stronger is my specialty. And its _professor_ now," Lupa corrected playfully. Silver smiled at her then called out for everyone else to come see this. Violet, Zelts and Lily walked outside to witness Silver's new achievement. They all congratulated him for finally pulling off levitation, but Lily brought up a question for the gunman.

"Can you move around or can you just float?"

Silver pondered that for a minute. He didn't think about how to move because he was just happy about finally getting off the ground. "Umm…" He tried to move by swinging his arms, kicking his legs, even tried to swim in the air to get some form of motion, but none of it was working. He started moving slightly to the right, but not of his free will.

"Umm, Professor, got any tips for this?" Silver asked while helplessly suspended in the air.

"Gravity is the key to your growth. Levitating like this is the first step in evolving your semblance, the rest will come to you the more you practice." Silver was satisfied with this answer since it didn't mean his new trick would be completely useless.

Before anyone could say or do anything else, Lily felt something grip then tug on her arm. She looked to see that it was Remus with a crazed look on his face that unnerved her. His eyes were really intense when she looked in them. She could even notice the shifting of his cybernetic eye and she could admit that it creeped her out a little bit. At first, Lily wondered what he could've wanted, but she figured out he was going to ask her next, so she answered before he could say anything.

"Okay Remus okay. I'll fight with you right now."

Remus was already bouncing on his feet. He's been waiting for this for more than a year and it's finally happening. And the fact that Lupa was here to see this only added more to his excitement. Everyone else was ready to see how this battle would turn out so they walked behind Lily's house where there was a large enough clearing for the fight. The area was surrounded by the trees of the forest.

 **Setting: Forest Clearing**

Remus stood on one side of the battlefield with Tigress standing on the other. Everyone watched from the sidelines, Silver was quietly rooting for Remus as a form of vengeance against the woman for always one-upping him in almost everything. If anything, Silver wanted another shot at taking her down. This thought sparked an idea from the gunman. "Hey Remus, do you mind if I join in on this fight? I'd like to have a crack at her too."

Silver walked over to Remus' side before the young man could even answer. Remus seemed confused at what was happening, but didn't seem reluctant to let his teammate participate and Tigress was laughing at the predicament. "Ahahaha. This is something. Guess you want some revenge for the ass kicking I gave you the last time?"

"This might sound cliché, but it won't be like last time. Rems isn't the only one that's gotten stronger and I'm…We're here to prove it." Silver pulled Fenrir from its holsters and aimed his guns at the girl who wielded her lance, Flying Eagle. Seeing how this fight was changing from one-on-one to two-on-one, Zelts decided it was his turn to enter the fray, but not as a member of Team VRSZ. Much to the confusion of everyone present, Zelts stood by Tigress' side and against his fellow freelancers.

"I'm honestly not surprised about you choosing her side, but joining in on this fight is still pretty unexpected. Trying to make this a fair fight or you don't want to see your girlfriend to get her ass handed to her?" Silver asked with a smirk and Zelts smirked right back.

"More like I know for a fact that the two of you are much stronger than you were when you faced Lily last time. I'm sure she can handle herself, but I want to fight by her side to make things more…fair," Zelts said as he lifted the Heart of Gold from his back to his front. Tigress smiled at him for aiding her in battle. She believed she could've handled Remus and Silver without his help, but she greatly appreciated Zelts stepping in.

Silver found this new battle format to be interesting. He's only done sparring with Zelts, only fighting him once in Never-End and losing, so beating the two of them would be killing two birds with one stone. Remus was really looking forward to this fight. He always considered Zelts to be a very strong fighter and liked it whenever they had the chance to train together except this time they wouldn't have to hold back. He couldn't think of anything that could make this better, but someone else entering the field made this all the more enticing.

The final new player in the game was Violet, who stood by her two boys as the three looked at the couple.

"Violet?" Zelts said in an amusing tone. "You're not one for trivial fights. Something abput this got your blood pumping?"

"You could say that. More like I want to confirm something by fighting the two of you. Hope you don't mind?" she asked the duo.

"Not really. I always wanted to see what kind of fighter you are Violet?" Tigress said as she got into fighting stance. "I want to have a good understanding of the person who's leader of Team VRSZ."

"Fine by me," Violet retorted.

No one else said anything, not even Lupa, now the sole bystander in the battle. She wished to observe how this will unfold.

The first to make a move was Zelts, he immediately split his shield into wingblades and swung them to send a strong gust of wind at his friends. Violet and Remus held onto Silver's arms and he used Gravity to increase their weight so the wind couldn't move them from their spot. Zelts didn't let up as he sent continuous air blasts at the trio, giving them no time to do anything else and giving Tigress time to dislocate the joints of her partisan. She jabbed four sections into the ground, facing Team VRSZ, then pressed her thumb against the blade of the spearhead, making the four sections fire small cannon fire shoots at them. Violet didn't want to be pinned down so she waited for the brief moment between the gust of winds between each of Zelts' swings and she threw five Enigmas at the ground in front of herself and her boys. The earth dust in the Enigmas created five, large earth spires that formed a wall to protect them from Tigress' cannon fire and stop the wind from keeping them stuck in one place.

Tigress' cannon fire hit the rocky barrier and exploded, creating smoke that obscured her and Zelts' view of VRSZ. Zelts stopped his assault and brought his wingblades together. He ran over to Tigress, slammed his shield into the ground, and crouched down with her. She didn't question his judgement because she fully trusted him and she knew Zelts had a better understanding of how the team fights than she does. Her choice paid off when she heard sound of gunfire ricocheting of the shield. On what remained of the rocky wall was Silver, firing shots from Fenrir in its sniper form. His suppressing fire turned the tables and kept the couple at bay.

"Do we take him out?" Tigress asked as she gripped Flying Eagle, prepared to face Silver, but Zelts shook his head.

"No, he's the distraction. Lily, Nine o'clock!" Zelts shouted as Violet and Remus came into view. The two freelancers moved from their original spot and raced to the sides of Zelts and Tigress for a pincer attack, Remus on Tigress' side and Violet on Zelts'. The two ran toward them with throwing knives and Bo staff in hand, but it wasn't enough to scare Zelts or Tigress.

"I got this," Tigress said as she took the initiative by activating her semblance, Gemini. Her body separated into two entities, her Tigress Twins, the black half and the orange half, and they attacked Violet and Remus simultaneously with their partisans. The orange twin clashed with Remus and the black twin clashed with Violet, giving Zelts the moment to get up from his position. He split his shield and sent a wave of wind at Silver, hitting and knocking him off his perch, then ran toward him to keep the fights one-on-one.

Fully aware of Silver's marksmanship and mastery of guns, Zelts moved in to make this a close quarter fight. Doing this meant sacrifices the range of his wind dust attacks, but he believed his chances were better since he was stronger than Silver in close combat. Silver changed Fenrir from sniper form to escrima sticks and started a bout with Zelts. They were parrying and combating each other, Silver able to connect a few hits thanks to being faster than Zelts, but received glancing slashes from the wingblades knowing a clean hit from those things was going to hurt really bad. Meanwhile, Violet and Remus were having their hands full with Tigress' semblance as the Tigress Twins proved to be formidable foes. Violet never had the pleasure of facing Tigress and she no longer had her dual daggers for up close fights, so she was using her hand-to-hand skills to counter the partisan. The black twin changed the spear to a three-sectioned spear and attacked Violet relentlessly, pushing the freelancer into a corner. Violet has already recognized Tigress as a strong fighter, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from defeating Tigress. She leaped and dodged most of the twin's attacks, but she did get hit by the spear several times, something she let play to her advantage when she grabbed one section of the weapon. She yanked it toward her, pulling the twin on the other end, and kicked her in the stomach, pushing her a good distance away. Remus was fighting with the orange twin and they were at a stalemate until Violet kicked the other twin. The pain it experienced was felt by its other half, causing it to stop mid-attack to hold its stomach, giving Remus the time he needed to strike the twin with one of his swords and the pain was felt by both Tigress Twins.

Violet and Remus saw their moment and moved in to attack their opponents while their guards were down, but Tigress wasn't letting the flow of battle change so quickly. The orange twin receded from its spot from Remus and rejoined with its black twin to recreate Tigress, who quickly attacked Violet with Flying Eagle by swinging the spear at her and knocking a few feet away. Remus ran toward her to attack from behind. Zelts was still clashing with Silver, who was using Gravity to either lighten himself or make himself heavy to avoid and maneuver, but Zelts was holding his own. He swung one of his wingblades at the gunman who backflipped away with Gravity to jump high and got some distance in the air. Silver changed his escrima sticks to guns while still in the air then fired several shots. Zelts blocked the gunfire with one of his wingblades by using it as a shield. He took a quick glance at Tigress just when she deactivated Gemini and noticed Remus moving in for an attack from behind. While Silver was still firing, Zelts swung the wingblade he didn't use as a shield and sent a wave of wind toward the others. When Violet was knocked back by Tigress, she got a look at Zelts sending a blast of air over in Remus' direction. She grabbed a few Enigmas from her bag and threw three of them in Zelts' direction.

When Remus was about to slash Tigress' back, he was hit by Zelts' wind attack and pushed far away from the battle. He was satisfied with protecting Tigress, but he was too late to notice the throwing knives coming his way. The Enigmas made contact and the dust inside them transformed into ice and froze his arm, chest and leg, keeping him in place. Silver used his semblance to increase his mass and quickly descend to the ground where he rushed toward his frozen opponent with Fenrir in escrima sticks and started his symphony by beating on Zelts' body. The ice kept him from doing anything to Silver, but the gunslinger's constant attacks were steadily chipping the ice away. Silver was doing a number on Zelts' aura, but it stopped after striking Zelts in the arm, breaking the last of the ice there, and he quickly grabbed the gunman by the face. With the onslaught over and some of the ice removed from his body, he flexed his muscles then jerked his free arm to shatter the ice covering his chest and punched the last of the ice on his leg while still holding Silver's face before slamming him into the ground.

"Ooh god, that was a bit much don't you think?!" Silver asked as he laid on the ground while rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry, but you did hit me in the face a lot with Fenrir," Zelts said with a smile to show there was no ill will in his previous actions. "And I'm sorry for this." Zelts grabbed Silver by his vest before throwing him far away from the field. He landed near Lupa who was watching with an amused look.

Zelts ran over to where Violet landed to fight her and she seemed quite enthusiastic to take on her teammate. Tigress was ready to join him, but stopped when she heard something fire from the distance. She looked to her right just in time to see a bolt of energy head toward her and she jumped up high in the air to dodge the blast that destroy the area she was standing in. Tigress looked over to see Remus with Romulus in railgun mode. He shifted it back to double-bladed staff mode and she split her spear into a smaller one with the other one as a staff. The two ran toward each other and Tigress activated Gemini again to get the edge with numbers. The black twin was taking the lead, charging straight for Remus, while the orange one circled around. Remus kept a mental the orange twin's location while moving in to clash with the other, but the twin disappeared right in front of him. It reconnected with the orange twin that was behind Remus to reform Tigress and she slammed both her staves against Remus' sides, damaging his aura while stunning him. She turned her body around, reconnecting her weapon, then kicked Remus hard in the chest to push him farther from Zelts. She figured fighting Team VRSZ would be very difficult if they were allowed to work as a team. She was preventing Zelts and herself from working together, but told herself that Remus wanted to fight her from them start and she was just fulfilling his wish.

"I hope you're ready Violet. I'll be honest with myself, I think of you as a sister and I don't like the idea of hurting you, but don't think I'll pull any punches today. I'm going all out," Zelts said with wingblades in hand. Violet smirked as she pulled some Enigmas from her bag.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I'd hate it if you had to hold back on me and I want to show you just how strong we've gotten," Violet said right before throwing two daggers at the ground in front of him.

The dust in one knife formed ice that covered the surrounding area Zelts was standing on with ice and the second one created a small pillar of earth that shot out in Zelts' direction, but he jumped back to avoid the crafty uppercut. This move helped him dodge the rock, but he wasn't prepared what to do about the ice. He landed on the icy surface and felt off balance, trying his best not to slip and fall. Violet ran over to Zelts, walking on the stone platform she created to avoid her icy floor, jumped in front of Zelts, and kicked him in the chest, knocking him on his back while still on the ice.

Zelts got up, but thought about what Violet said, about how she wanted show him how strong they've gotten. He was fully aware of their improved strength and she didn't need to prove it to him specifically. Zelts thought back to when they first got to Patch and how she acted when they got here, even when they were fighting the Grimm. She's been having Zelts hang back so the others could fight or handle their own things and her desire to face him and beat him. That's when Zelts finally realized Violet's plan, what she was aiming for ever since they made it to Patch and he was grateful to her, but it was something he would talk to her about once this battle has ended.

Violet landed on the frozen foundation, doing her best to land on her feet and stand upright, as Zelts was doing the same, but he had to start on his knees and he was struggling a little, much to his dismay and Violet's amusement. It turned out to be a lucky thing that Zelts was struggling because he stabbed the ice with his the wingblade on his left to help him stand up, but he heard the sound of bullets bounce off his blade. Silver was coming in to help Violet fight and his surprise attack was thwarted by sheer coincidence. Violet acted fast by using his failed sneak attack to make one of her own. She threw earth knives at Zelts' body, encasing everything but his face in stone. Violet jumped from the icy area to solid ground where she joined up with Silver. The two looked at the statue that was Zelts with suspicion.

"Do you think that'll hold him?" Silver asked, but his question was answered when Zelts shouted before breaking through the rock like it was cardboard.

"Nope," Violet answered as she looked at Zelts. His eyes were glowing gold, indicating he was using a fully charged Conversion, thanks to the dust woven into his shirt. Silver and Violet knew that Zelts was no longer holding back, he saw them as a real challenge, and it only made their job of defeating him all the more difficult.

Zelts got onto his feet and smashed them into the ice on the ground, making a stable foothold for himself. Silver aimed his guns and Violet drew her knives, but Zelts quickly swung his wingblades to release a powerful golden gale that shattered the ice beneath him before it headed toward the other two. Bolstering wind reached them and Silver used Gravity to stay in place with Violet holding his arm to gain the same effect. He was fortunate that Zelts didn't add an electric current into the wind, but Silver's luck ran out when Zelts took the initiative by running right at them. A Conversion fueled Zelts was stronger and faster as he quickly covered the distance and leaped high in the air with his fist reeled back. Violet and Silver jumped out of the way before Zelts slammed his fist into the ground, creating a small crater that made Silver lose a little confidence in this fight.

"You sure we can win?" Silver asked Violet. He was unsure of how they could turn this around, remembering the times Team VRSZ won battles against Grimm and enemies simply because Zelts was there with Conversion.

"...I'll think of something. Just stay on the defensive for now," Violet answered, but her stall tactic didn't impress Silver. Violet has stratagems for taking down any opponent and the fact that she had to think of something on the fly didn't bode confidence with Silver. Zelts charged at both of them and the two were ready to get on the defensive. Neither of them could take a Conversion-powered Zelts head on.

Meanwhile, Lupa watched the battle between Remus and Tigress to see how her Delta fared. Remus had Romulus in dual swords form and Tigress with her Flying Eagle in its base partisan form as the two ran toward each other, but Remus quickly used Checkpoint to close the distance. Tigress made a split-second decision to tuck and roll when she saw him vanish in blue smoke and her instincts were right because he teleported above her to land a swing with his sword, but only clashed with the end of Flying Eagle before skidding onto the ground while Tigress stood from her squatting position before running right at him again. Their weapons clashed as they danced together in a battle that looked like a form of ballet to onlookers. Remus used his speed to gain the upper hand, but Tigress has proven she's gotten better based on how she was able to keep up with him to parry attacks. He found an opening in the midst of the bout and tried to stab Tigress by bringing his swords together to use its double-bladed staff form, but Tigress activated Gemini to split her body to avoid his blade while also having the twins surround him. They tried to swipe him from both sides with their spears, but Remus was fast enough to split Romulus back into dual swords in order to block their attacks then quickly loosen his hold, forcing the twins to take a few steps forward because of their shifted weight. Remus jumped in the air when they took their first steps and kicked the orange twin in the jaw while simultaneously hitting the black twin with the pummel of his sword.

The Tigress Twins came together behind Remus and she thought about his attack just now. It was similar to the one she inflicted on Remus and Silver in their first battle. Remus ran toward her and she pressed the middle area of her spearhead. Right behind her and Remus was a section of Flying Eagle she planted into the ground when she rolled away from his attack. The cannon fire blasted Remus in the back and propelled him far away from Tigress. He was heading toward the battle between Zelts, Violet, and Silver. They were using Thick As Thieves to hold their own against the powered-up Zelts, but instead of attacking, they were doing their best to avoid and evade, helping each other dodge his wingblades, however they had little answer for his golden gales with electricity running through them. Violet used her lightning Enigmas as lightning rods to draw the majority of the electricity away until the knives exploded from overload. The residual electricity hit them both and brought down their aura levels with every were in a corner until either Violet or Silver could come up with some kind of plan.

"Got anything?" Silver asked Violet. He was sweating from being on a failing defensive. He fired several rounds at Zelts who deflected them with a powerful burst of wind that reached Silver and knocked him further away.

"I think I got something. Just... give me a few minutes to work out the fine details," Violet said. She was kneeling on the ground to catch her breath and think of something until she saw Remus being blasted over.

Remus was flying toward Zelts' backside so he decided to use the momentum of Tigress' cannon fire to his advantage. He readjusted him position and activated the dust in his blades to make them glow cobalt blue and give them the sharper edge. He was ready to strike Zelts to give his friends a hand, but Zelts turned around to face him then swung one of his wingblades to clash with both his swords. Remus was able to hold his own against Zelts boosted strength as the blow ended in a stalemate, showing they were equal, but Zelts had a free arm, so he blasted a small golden gale at Remus to push him back. Zelts immediately created a small tornado to carry Remus back to Tigress. She jumped into the small cyclone and kicked him in the back hard enough to send him into out of the clearing and hit his back against a small tree. He was sitting on the ground with his back against the sapling before getting back up. His aura level took a massive hit, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. Remus smirked at Tigress because he was ready to let loose.

Violet and Silver witnessed this before Violet's eyes widened. She smirked at Silver saying, "I think I have an idea."

Silver smirked back saying, "Finally, took you long enough. I was ready to cut and run."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Power Couple Part 2**

 **Setting: Lily's House**

Zelts blasted three giant golden tornadoes at Violet and Silver in order to overwhelm them, but they held their ground. Silver used Gravity to increase his and Violet's mass to stay where they were and Violet used tossed a large amount of lightning Enigmas to the ground to serve as lightning rods. They took most of the electricity in the tornadoes, but blew apart when they consumed too much energy and they had to take whatever electrical current that remained in them. Their auras were on their last legs after Zelts' barrage. Silver looked to Violet who previously said she had a plan to beat Zelts and he really wanted to hear it.

"So how do we take him out?" Silver asked Violet.

He aimed Fenrir in dual gun form at Zelts, powered-up thanks to Conversion. The battle between Team VRSZ against Zelts and Tigress was in favor of the latter. Lupa watched from the sidelines to observe how this would end, but she mostly watched Remus in a one-sided fight against Tigress. The wolf faunus could admit to herself that Tigress was an extremely formidable warrior that can hold her own against her Delta. If anything, this battle proved that despite his intensive training and hidden abilities he has yet to discover, Remus was still human and could be overcome by any number of things like anyone. But just like any other human, he won't back down when things get rough. Remus was getting up after being kicked into a tree. He was to really go all out against Tigress with Romulus in dual swords mode then activated the energy within to make the blades stronger and glow blue.

"Conversion gradually drains energy, so we just force Zelts to exert himself until he burns out like a star. Thing is, we just have to keep him occupied so he won't use his semblance to absorb more energy, especially the dust in his shirt," Violet said to Silver as quickly as possible because Zelts was running straight for them.

Silver understood her plan, but didn't have time to say anything or nod because Zelts jumped high in the air above them. With his Heart of Gold as wingblades, he spun around upside-down in the air, creating a massive tornado that was upside-down as well and heading toward the duo. The powerful force of wind was holding them against the ground, pinning them so they couldn't take any further actions. Silver couldn't think of anything to do. He couldn't fire any rounds at Zelts because the wind would throw off his aim and Gravity was no help either. If he made himself light, the wind would take him and if he made himself too heavy, it would do nothing but keep him in his current position. Violet was in the same spot with her Enigmas, but there was one difference between her and Silver could may change the tide. Zelts finally ceased his overturned hurricane and landed on the ground to see his teammates exhausted on the ground. He looked at Silver laying on the ground with his eyes closed, but noticed that Violet was nowhere to be seen.

 _"_ _Did I miss her?"_ Zelts thought to himself as he looked around. _"I'm sure she was in the vortex,"_ Zelts checked his surroundings, but found no trace of his leader. Zelts thought she disappeared, until he realized he fell into a very simple trap. _"Smart,"_

Violet appeared in front of Zelts out of nowhere and punched him in the jaw, though she felt really bad about it. She punched and kicked him several times before shouting at Silver, "Do it!" before Zelts punched her in the gut then threw her away from the fight.

Silver got up from playing opossum and fired several rounds at Zelts. They hit him in the chest, but there was little to no damage to his aura, so Zelts wondered what he did. The gunslinger fired again at both his wingblades then jumped away to stand by Violet who was getting up from the being tossed. The landing wasn't painful,but it did break through what remained of her aura. Zelts didn't notice anything until he felt his own body get heavy and his wingblades followed suit. He figured that Silver used Gravity Bullets to increase gravity's effect on his body and weapons so they could slow him down. He thought it was a very clever strategy on Violet's part, immobilize then overwhelm, but he wasn't going down like that. It took a tremendous amount of effort, but Zelts managed to take a step forward and keep going.

He was moving under threefold gravity, even if it was extremely difficult, and his teammates could only watch in amazement. Violet and Silver came to the conclusion that Zelts was without a doubt the strongest member on their team, but it didn't change the fact that they had to beat him. Zelts reached for his wingblades to pick them up. The effect of the Gravity Bullets was afflicted on his weapons, making them extremely heavy and difficult to lift. He tried to lift one, but it was very hard, even with Conversion. The Heart of Gold was already a heavy weapon that few could actually use properly and Gravity Bullet made it near impossible. Zelts was straining himself just to lift one, using Conversion to put all his energy into boosting his physical prowess so he could lift just one wingblade. He wasn't going to try to lift the other one because it was hard just to carry the one. He trudged over to Violet and Silver who just watched because they were unsure if he was going to making it.

Back with Tigress and Remus, they were in the midst of combat, clashing weapon against weapon, hoping one would give way. Tigress continuously shifted the forms of Flying Eagle to fend of Remus' high speed attacks, changing it from partisan, to three-sectioned, five-sectioned, and twin staff form. Remus was doing his best to fight Tigress, but he was getting up close and personal while abandoning any form of defense, so any hit was going hurt. They parried each other, but his superior speed meant Tigress couldn't keep up with every single blow. Remus struck her partisan two times before jumping in the air to deliver a round kick that pushed her back. Tigress was impressed with his growth after less than two years, but she wasn't going to let this end with a loss. She landed on the ground using her hands and sprung back up to attack with her spear. Remus ran to her for another bout, but she jumped high above his head then pressed the middle part of her spearhead. In the ground where she previously landed were two of Flying Eagle's sections, pointed at Remus and ready to fire. The cannon fire was shot, but Remus quickly used Checkpoint to get out of the line of fire and teleport right in front of Tigress then immediately struck her with both his swords, knocking her into the ground and breaking her aura. His choice helped him finally take down Tigress, but it had a cost. He suddenly felt a blast of cannon fire hit him in the back and his aura breaking apart. Remus turned his head to see that there was a third section on the ground a good distance away from here and realized Tigress threw it there when she jumped over him. The impact was hard and it hurt with little aura protecting him, fortunately Tigress grabbed him and landed safely onto the ground before setting him down. Both were exhausted as they sat on the ground to catch their breaths.

"Well…. ah…. that was fun…," Tigress said between breaths. After such an intense battle, she never got a good look at herself and noticed that her body was covered in sweat and her hair was a bit of a mess. She looked at Remus to see he wasn't as tired as her, but she did a number on him based on his ruffled clothes and traces of dirt here and there. "How are you? Was our fight everything you wanted?"

"Yeah, but it ended with a tie. There wasn't a clear winner," Remus said with a calm face. What he said seemed like he was whining but he was just stating the facts. He was definitely different from the fifteen-year old version of himself, she could tell. "It was still a great fight. Thanks for the rematch."

Lily smiled hearing that. She was glad that he enjoyed such an intense battle and she could admit that she relished the heat of battle. Never-End was a dark past she put behind her, but fighting always made her feel alive, something she and Remus found in common. "Hey, can we fight again someday?"

Remus was astounded that Lily was the one asking for another round before he could request one. He grinned before answering her question. "Definitely."

Lupa observed the fight and most importantly how Remus reacted to not being able to win. She was happy to see that he wasn't sad or depressed about ending in a tie. If anything, he was happy with this conclusion and Lupa was pleased her Delta really has grown as a person. And she was able to witness it. The battle wasn't over, but it was reaching the end as Lupa changed her focus from Remus to his teammates as they battle was just an endurance battle.

Zelts was still using under the effect of Gravity Bullet and was using Conversion to give himself the strength to move. Violet and Silver just looked on in amazement at Zelts moving under such intense circumstances. They couldn't bring themselves to do anything but watch. Zelts eventually became aware of the situation, about how this battle ended the moment Silver hit him several times with Gravity Bullet. Even if he did reach them, what could he do? It takes a lot of energy for him to move and swinging his wingblade would take everything he had, giving them enough time to attack him a hundred times over. The battle was over, but Zelts wanted to test truly test the limits of his abilities with Conversion. Violet and Silver cheered him on as they watched him take over fifty steps from his starting point. Zelts took about two more steps until Conversion finally ran out and without Conversion giving him a boost in strength, he fell to the ground from the weight of Gravity Bullet.

"You worked on the duration of this thing, didn't you?" Zelts asked Silver with a grin.

"Sorry about that," Silver said as he walked over to his pinned friend. He placed a hand on Zelts' shoulder to use his semblance to remove the remaining effects of Gravity Bullet on Zelts, allowing him to finally get up.

"So, are we done fighting?" Silver asked.

Violet and Zelts looked at each other then watched Remus and Lily who were conversing among themselves. They all came to the conclusion that the match was over. Remus and Lily ended in a tie while the battle between the three freelancers seemed to end in Zelts' loss. The final verdict was unclear so no victor was decided. All the contenders were in good spirits as they helped each other up and returned to Lily's home to recuperate. Zelts and Lily were sitting next to each other on the couch while holding hands and enjoying their company. Silver was actually outside trying to practice his new levitating skill, mostly trying to figure out how to move while floating. Violet was with him to help anyway she could while also having a few laughs when he fell flat on his butt or moved in a direction he didn't intend to move to. Remus was inside with Pr. Lupa, asking about her opinion on his performance in battle and she said he has improved since the last time she saw him, though she told him to strategize more if he wanted to last longer. Remus told her he'd do that from now on.

The day was ending and it was time for everyone to go their separate ways, but more importantly, tomorrow was the day Team VRSZ was to return to Fortuna. Lily was rather sad that she only had these few short days to be with Zelts and he felt the same. He wished he could stay with her a little longer, but knew he had to return with his teammates. Violet, Remus and Silver drove back to the small city to return to their hotel. Lupa accompanied them back to the city as long as someone other than Remus drove the Fantasia.

 **Setting: Patch**

The group drove to a small apartment building that was Lupa's new place of residence. It seemed like a nice building with rooms for everyone who lived there. Lupa was a professor at Signal Academy, it was only a training academy, not an academy on the level of the Huntsmen academies found in the four kingdoms, so housing is mostly for students and some tenured professors. Lupa has been a professor for a few months, but was still the newest member of the faculty. The team couldn't get a description of Lupa's floor because they were only there to drop her off in front of the building. She exited the car and walked to the entrance until she turned around to face the team.

"Thank you for a lovely day. It has been quite exhilarating. Haven't had excitement like that in years. See you all again someday." Lupa said with a smile. Silver nodded while Violet waved goodbye, but Remus used Checkpoint to teleport out of his seat and by Lupa's side. His face was crescent-fallen when he looked her in the eyes. The wolf faunus knew exactly why he looked so glum, he had to leave tomorrow and they only had the one day together.

"Don't look like that Remus," Lupa placed a hand on his cheek, realizing that Remus was now taller than her. She remembered the old days when he was her experiment and he was much shorter than he was now. "You have someplace where you're needed, just like I do here at Signal. You can talk to me on your scroll anytime and you know we'll see each other again." She caressed his face a while before dropping her hand. Remus smiled a little when he looked at her.

"You're right. I just wanted more time… Will you be able to see us off?" he asked with hope in his amber eyes, but Lupa shook her head.

"Unfortunately, my classes are early in the morning. I won't have any time in between to meet you all," Remus wasn't pleased with this, so Lupa continued to raise his spirits. "But since this will be the last time we'll see each other in person for a while, let me give you some parting words. I've told you this a lot, but I must say it again; Don't be too obsessed with fighting."

Remus rolled his eyes and chuckled, before playfully replying with, "I know."

"Remember, I don't want you to be the Delta I originally planned for you, be something better. Make a real life for yourself with friends, that's the new future I envision for you. Also, you really need to work on your driving. It's atrocious."

"Ahaha, I will," Remus answered feeling a little better about the situation. He walked back to the car and sat back in his original spot. He waved Lupa goodbye before she entered her apartment building. The freelancers returned to the inn for much needed sleep. The battle today wore them out and it didn't take them long to fall asleep.

 **Setting: Airship Dock**

It was the dawn of a new day and the time for the freelancers to return to Fortuna. Violet, Silver, and Remus were at the airship dock where Clair's airship and pilot were waiting for them to board. The trio was waiting for Zelts to come, but he was a few minutes behind schedule. Violet and Remus were the patient ones of the group while Silver was mumbling nonsense to himself as he walked in circles. Getting up so early in the morning was bad enough, but now he had to wait for Zelts to get here. He was planning on sleeping in the airship, but Violet told him to wait out here for some reason he didn't know.

After another ten minutes, Zelts finally showed up to the docks and he was accompanied by Lily, probably to watch him go. Silver marched to his bearded friend and lightly jabbed him in the chest with his finger. "You're late!"

"Ehehe… Sorry about that," Zelts said while he scratched the back of his head.

"What were you doing that could-" Silvwer stopped talking when he looked at Lily and filled in the dots. "Never mind," he said sounding defeated.

The couple blushed at his accusation and Lily said, "No Silver no! It's not like that! We just overslept a bit. That's all. It's my fault for not setting an alarm." Lily took hold of Zelts' hand and squeezed it in affection. He smiled at her and reciprocated the gesture. Silver looked at them both with disgust before walking to the airship.

"Well it was great seeing again Lily. Till the day we meet again," Silver said hastily as he passed Remus. He was about to walk past Violet, but she stopped him in his tracks by grabbing onto the back of his vest.

"Hold on. There's something I got to say and I need everyone here." Violet walked up to the couple and looked Zelts in the eye. Her face was calm, but he knew she wanted to talk about a serious matter.

"Zelts…" Violet paused for a response.

"…Y-yeah?"

"The three of us will be heading back to Fortuna. You're staying here." Her statement flabbergasted everyone else in the vicinity with Zelts and Lily looking the most surprised.

"Umm, what?" Silver asked.

"Violet I don't think-" Zelts tried to persuade her, but she raised her hand up to stop him.

"This is happening Zelts. You're staying here with Lily for a while. I thought about this before we made it to Patch and I'm sure you figured it out somewhere along the way. You deserve to be with Lily much longer than the time we've spent here and I'm giving it to you."

"…Violet," Lily interjected, "I'm grateful that you'd let Zelts stay with me, but he's your friend and a member of your team. He should be with you guys."

"Do you know the real reason I joined the battle yesterday? It was to prove to Zelts, more importantly to myself, that we can hold our own without him. He doesn't have to worry about us anymore, everyone one of us can hold our own. Zelts is a member of Team VRSZ, but he _needs_ to be here with you." Lily didn't know what to say. She knew that Zelts needed to be with his team, but she really wanted him to stay with her a little while longer. Violet was offering, but Lily just didn't want to sound selfish by accepting.

"Violet I-" Zelts tried to say something, but he wanted what she was giving him. He just felt guilty about leaving the others. Are you sure it's okay?" he asked for final confirmation.

"Remus? Silver? What do you guys think?" she turned to her other teammates to get their opinions.

"Zelts can stay," Remus said in a cheery tone.

Silver scratched the back of his head before saying, "Yeah. I mean, I'm pretty much stronger than everyone here, so the team would hardly suffer if you take a vacation."

Everyone looked at him with questionable expressions. His cocky claim of being the strongest was amusing, but it got the point across.

"See? The team can function as a trio until you feel you're ready to come back," Violet said before reaching into her pocket. She pulled out her wallet and took out some Lien for Zelts to have.

"This is for you. You use it to buy an airship ticket back home. We'll be waiting." Violet placed the money in his hands then walked over to the airship that's been waiting for them to board. Remus waved at the couple then followed Violet's lead with Silver tailing close behind. Zelts and Lily watched his friends get on board until Zelts shouted out to them.

"Guys! Thanks."

They all smiled or waved goodbye to their teammate and friend before boarding the airship. It didn't take long for the pilot to start the ship and fly into the air. Zelts and Lily watched the airship take off with their hands intertwined.

 **Setting: Open Skies**

The flight back to Fortuna was the same as the last one; boring and long. Silver had Fenrir in escrima form, twirling them around and tossing them in the air to better his skills with hand-to-hand combat. Remus was sitting next to Violet, looking at the clouds from the window. Violet herself was thinking about what they should do once they return home.

 _"_ _We can still do missions, but with the website going down for a few days we may have driven away any potential clients. Guess we have to start it up sooner or later if we want to get paid. If there aren't any up, we can go to Moneta and ask Sterling for some high paying jobs. We've made a living doing that before, we could do it again,"_

Violet's inner monologue was interrupted by her scroll going off. She picked it up to see who was calling her and she saw it was Onyx. She answered, "Hello?"

"Hey Vi, I just wanted you to know that I just finished creating your new daggers. They're a major upgrade from your old ones. Ready for pick up whenever you guys get back," the young faunus said from the other end of the line.

Violet was happy to hear her arsenal will finally be complete. It didn't feel right not to have her daggers on her person during the whole trip. She's so used to having her throwing knives with her that not having them equipped made her feel naked. "Actually, we're heading home right now. Should be there in just two hours."

"Really? Then you might be able to put them to good use. Clair's been having some trouble in Fortuna and she'd probably like your help."

"Consider us hired. Bye Onyx, see you soon." Violet hung up her scroll and waited her teammates till they reached Fortuna. Even with Zelts taking a leave of absence, life didn't seem to change much for the freelancers.

* * *

 **Zelts' Conversion let's him absorb different forms of energy and redirect it into other sources like his own body for a physical boost or into weapons for extra firepower. An example of the weapons would be his Heart of Gold which alters the dust in the blades and makes them stronger, but this isn't exclusively for his weapons. He can do the same for any type of weapon too, and depending on the dust, the powers vary, like how an electric current is added into the wind dust.**

 **Zelts won't be appearing in the next few chapters because I wanted to give him some time off with Lily. He will return after some R &R.**

 **Lily has embraced her name as Tigress, so her name in the story changes to Tigress whenever she fights.**

 **This wasn't mentioned in the story, but when Lupa first tried to apply as a professor in Signal, she wasn't really sure if she could get in. Her morally gray past was holding her back, not to mention the little to no information the staff had on her. She wasn't going to get the job until a well known professor of the academy vouched for her. That professor was Taiyang Xiao Long, who wanted to give Lupa a chance.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Big Brother Redd**

 **Setting: Onyx's Workshop**

Onyx was walking from his laboratory to the open area where he talks with customers. Violet was there at the front desk waiting for him. She saw that he arrived with a small box in his hands. He put them on the desk for Violet to take. "Here you go Violet. Your new daggers," the young faunus said.

Violet removed the lid from the small parcel to see her new replacement daggers. They weren't exact copies of her old ones. The knives were kukris, knives with an inwardly curved blade, with special hilts that held several vials of dust in them. She grabbed one to get a good feel of it and the blade's weight felt slightly different from her old ones, but she could easily adapt to it. She swung at the air a few times before Onyx spoke.

"I made them from new metal alloys Ghost helped me find in the desert. Not only are they strong, but their very durable. It can even cut through stone and I added some dust to make them more versatile." Onyx walked over to Violet and pointed at each dust vial saying, "Fire, ice, gravity, and an empty slot for you to put whatever you like in there. How you use the dust is up to you. Here."

Onyx reached into the parcel and pulled out new sheaths for Violet's new kukris. She smiled at her upgraded equipment and the genius faunus that made them. The Lien she spent on getting her old blades fixed was worth it.

"You rock Onyx," Violet said as she fastened her new sheaths to her legs then put her knives into them. Onyx was happy to know that his efforts to go above and beyond Violet's expectations were well received. She walked to the front door of the workshop to leave, but Onyx called to her.

"Wait! You don't want to test them out first?" he asked. He really wanted to show off how the kukris worked to Violet.

"Love to, but I can't. Gotta meet up with Remus and Silver about a job. Thanks for the new blades, I owe you one," she said before leaving the workshop.

 **Setting: Libera**

Remus and Silver were told by Violet to meet with Clair in the infamous district of Libera, where most of the criminal underbelly resided in Fortuna. They made it to their destination several minutes before Violet reached Onyx's Workshop. Now that the town has actually flourished in the past few years, more scoundrels have taken shelter here, causing more problems for the citizens and Clair. It didn't help that Fortuna was getting a lot more public attention now that it's the only civilization in Vacuo that actually functions with some form of government, something that the kingdom of Vacuo itself doesn't do, making Clair more active in her duties and spreading her forces thin.

Silver yawned loudly as he walked down the sidewalk with Remus. They got off the airship an hour ago and he wanted some time to relax, but the mission was their priority. It ddn't mean Silver couldn't complain about it. "Aaarrgghhh! This suuuuccckkkksss! I want to lay in bed not do this stuff."

"But we have a job to do for Clair. Shouldn't we help anyway we can? Besides, Violet said we needed the money since we were on break," Remus said to his tired friend.

"Remus, I can't believe I'm saying, but there are things in the world that are more precious, more valuable, and more essential than money."

"…You mean like friends, loved ones, and the things that are precious to you?" Remus asked, but Silver shook his head.

"No, I mean like sleep and I haven't gotten any since this morning. My bodies tired and I need a power nap, but I'll never hear the end of it from you I quit and went home. Plus, if I actually had the balls to do that, I'd lose them the minute Violet learns about it."

"You can be quite lazy Silver," Remus stated in a matter of fact tone and Silver didn't deny it.

"About time you noticed. Let's just hope this job doesn't take all day."

The two freelancers arrived at their rendezvous point, a building that looked like it has seen better days. They were holes in the walls, ceilings, and burn marks everywhere. One good kick looked like it could bring the whole place down. Silver was very wary of the building's weak structure and didn't want to be anywhere near it, nor did he believe that it was the actually meeting point. Luckily for him, he had a potential scapegoat by his side.

"Hey buddy, could you go inside to see if Clair's in there?" he asked Remus while pretending to sound friendly. He didn't like lying to Remus, but he figured it'd be better than being buried under rubble.

"Oka- wait. Is this some kind of trick?" Remus asked with a suspicious look. He has been the target for many of Silver's pranks before and he was starting to get wise about them. Silver was about to persuade him that he wasn't, but the sound of the front door opening grabbed both of their attentions.

Opening the door was a Vantablack, just not the one they were expecting to see. Sterling appeared from the other side of the door and greeted the two boys.

"Ah, young Silver and young Remus. I'm glad you could make it," the man said with poise and decorum. "Please come inside so we can discuss the matter at hand." Sterling opended the door all the way for them to enter and they did, though Remus was a bit confused about Sterling being here instead of Clair.

"I thought Clair was going to meet us here?" he asked as they walked inside.

"Originally yes, but my niece's work as a monarch has left her unable to leave her office right now so she sent me to meet with you on her behalf. Also, I was needed here to help someone else." Sterling said as he walked upstairs to the hallway on the second floor.

"Who?" Silver asked and Sterling opened the door on the left to reveal that Ghost, sitting on the floor looking roughed up. He had a few bruises here and there, his clothes were a little torn, and he had bandages wrapped around his right leg. He looked up at the three who entered with a glum look, though that's Ghost usual look. Sterling paced to his side, kneeling on the ground and wrapping the remaining bandages around his leg before doing so with his left arm.

"What happened to you?" Silver asked showing some level of concern for his best friend. Ghost turned his head to avoid eye contact saying, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Don't be so prideful young Ghost, it's why Clair called them," Sterling said before speaking to Remus and Silver.

"The ones who did this are the same people Clair wishes for you to apprehend. The Vermilion Twins."

"Wait a minute, The Vermilion Twins?" Silver questioned then turned his gaze over to a defeated Ghost asking, "And they're the ones who did this to you?"

Ghost stared at him, mentally telling Silver not to do what he knew was coming, but Silver did it anyway. He laughed. Silver mockingly laughed at Ghost for getting his ass handed to him by the easiest thugs in Fortuna. Remus didn't understand why that was funny, Sterling was bust wrapping bandages around Ghost's arm, and Ghost was staring at Silver's head, hoping it would explode. However, he could admit that if their roles were reversed, he would laugh at him too. It's one of the reasons why they are such good friends.

Silver finally calmed down after his laughing fit to speak to Sterling. "S- so you got your ass kicked by the twins? And you want us to beat them like we always do? Sure, and if anything, seeing you like this is payment enough for me, but Violet's going to want cash," Silver joked, but Ghost shook his head.

If it were just those two idiots, Clair wouldn't have asked for help, but their group dynamic changed while you guys were gone," Ghost said and it piqued their interest.

"What? Did they start multiplying?" Silver asking in a joking manner, but Ghost was serious.

"In a matter of speaking, you might be right. There's someone new with them. A third one calling the shots and he's doing a damn good job of it. They've been causing some real havoc in Fortuna and Clair sent me to stop them and, well, you see the results."

Remus was concerned for Ghost's injuries but he was also interested in the Vermilion twins and the new guy. Vermilion and Vermilya were trouble makers, but this newcomer sounds like the stakes were raised and Remus couldn't wait to see what they got. He did well to hide his excitement in order to be more professional as a freelancer.

"Alright, we'll take the job and I'll smack them around a little for you Ghost," Silver said. He grinned at Ghost to show he meant what he said about getting even and Ghost appreciated it.

"Any ideas where they are now?" Remus asked.

Sterling got up from the ground now that he was finished mending Ghost's wounds and answered, "Their location is unknown. They only seemed to be causing chaos in very random places."

"Hmmm…." Silver pondered for a minute then said, "I have an idea. Come on Remus." The two left the building, leaving Sterling to help Ghost out of the building.

"So what plan do you have in mind Silver?" Remus asked intrigued by Silver's thinking.

"A very simple plan for those dimwits. Just got to spread a rumor around about how our team is planning to trounce on the twins and the fact we're in Libera means it'll spread like wildfire. They'll catch wind of it and come looking for us, making our job finding them easier."

"Okay, I get it," Remus said understanding the plan then asked, "So where are we going?"

"Someplace to fight them. Preferably a place where we don't have to worry about damaging the area, not to mention it'll give Violet time to meet with us." Silver thought about where they could go as they walked and spread their rumor which worked as the lowlifes of the criminal underbelly did as Silver predicted and told everyone about their provoking words.

 **Setting: Somewhere in Fortuna**

In a rundown building that was in a worse state than the one VRSZ met Ghost and Sterling in a couple minutes ago. The inside looked much worse with the wooden floor covered in holes and the only rug there was in tatters. There were also bullet holes across all the walls there, most likely from Vermilion's beloved shotgun. Inside the building was Vermilya wielding her axe and a large heap of Lien credit cards just lying on the floor next to her. She looked at it in anger than raised her weapon to chop the thousands of credits.

"Knock it off Vermilya. I've told you eight times already to drop it. I won't tell you again."

Vermilya eventually complied after grunting for a few seconds then dropped her axe on the ground. She looked over at the person who commanded her with a glare. The person who spoke to her was sitting on a sofa chair and was looking back at her. He was a young man that was in his early twenties with wild, spikey, fire-colored hair like the Vermilion Twins though the shade of his hair was darker. He only wore a red t-shirt with tan pants and brown boots. He had a no-nonsense face when he looked at Vermilya who backed off from the staring contest.

"Whatever. I still don't see why you're here. Me and Vermilion were doing fine without you," she said with some venom in her voice.

"Because you and Vermilion are incompetent children who can't accomplish even the simplest of tasks. It was only thanks to me that things have changed for you. Now you have money and a name for yourselves that doesn't make people laugh at our family. I don't like you anymore than you like me, little sister, but family helps family, and I'll stay as here as long as it takes till you and your double get it right."

"…Whatever Redd." Vermilya couldn't deny the fact that their reputation has grown substantially since their brother came to help them. The only problem was the fact that he has taken full control of everything, something that didn't go well with Vermilya's and Vermilion's nature. They preferred to run amok and start fights instead of stealing Lien, but for some reason, Vermilion still looked up to Redd while she despised him.

The front door swung open and broke off its hinges as Vermilion walked into the building with a fuming look on his face. He grunted his way in, grabbing the attention of his siblings. He looked ready to blast another hole in the wall with his shotgun and his brother wasn't going to have that. Redd looked at him with a raised eyebrow before asking, "Alright, what's wrong with you?"

Vermilion quickly turned to Redd yelling, "None of you heard!? A bunch of people are talking about VRSZ. Says they're planning on attacking us and it'll come at any moment! Who do they think they are? Telling everyone they could wipe us out anytime they want! I won't have it!"

"VRSZ? This the team you've been having trouble with?" Redd asked and Vermilion nodded.

"Those bastards want a war, well they got one. And with you here, Redd, they won't stand a chance," Vermilion said full of confidence while Redd sat and thought to himself.

Vermilya didn't want to sit and wait with Redd, so she walked to her twin's side with her axe saying, "Let's go. We'll make them sorry."

"No, you won't," Redd said from his seat. Vermilya was angered by her older brother stopping her potential rampage and possible meeting with her beloved Violet. Vermilion didn't feel the same as he looked at his brother with a curious look.

"It's obviously a ploy to draw you guys out. They plan on beating you and turning you into the task force," Redd said and Vermilion looked at him with admiration in his eyes while Vermilya rolled her eyes.

"Ingenious! How do you know that Redd?" Vermilion asked.

"It doesn't take much to fool you two," Vermilya was irked at his statement as he continued, "That's why I'm here. Your personal vendettas are not my concern, but these people are part of the reason the Vermilion name has been dragged through the mud and I'll have to rectify that. We will go after this team, but not the way they expect us to. Let's go," he commanded.

"Sir, yes sir!" Vermilion said with excitement as he blindly followed his brother while Vermilya groaned and dragged her feet.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Painting the Town Vermilion**

 **Setting: Liberia**

Half an hour passed since Silver's plan was put into action and he along with Remus were waiting for the twins to show up along with their new accomplice. They were also waiting for Violet to show up since they recently got a text from her saying she was on her way. The two of them were walking through Liberia, trying to find a place to fight, but found nothing. They didn't think Clair would like it if they wrecked her town, so they decided to leave and head to the desert. With no sign of their targets, Remus was beginning to have doubts.

"Do you think they'll show up? he asked Silver.

"Yeah, they're pretty stupid, so they should take the bait. Just depends how long the rumor reaches them. Let's hope we make it to the desert before-" a grenade was fired from behind and exploded, knocking Remus and Silver forward before they landed on their feet, but they were a couple feet away from each other.

They looked over to find Vermilion, but didn't see anything but the road they were travelling. Remus surveyed the area, but felt a presence above him. He looked to Silver and Silver nodded as they were ready to use Cirque du Ciel. Remus used Checkpoint to teleport away as Vermilya swung her axe on the ground he previously occupied. Her attack missed and Silver quickly reacted by running toward her. He grabbed her by the arm, using Gravity to removed gravity's effect on her, then threw her in the air without her weapon. Remus teleported above her where he waited for Silver's move and watched Vermilya reach his destination. Right when Silver threw her in the air, Redd ran up against Silver, tackling him with full-force and knocking several feet away. Remus slashed Vermilya with his double-bladed staff, sending her to the ground, making him notice Silver failed to do his part.

Silver got up from the ground to what hit him. He suspected Vermilion, but was proven wrong when he looked up to see someone he has never seen before. He looked at Redd with confusion before realizing he was the new person Sterling and Ghost were talking about. The person's appearance was very similar to the Vermilion Twins, though he wasn't a triplet. The person was armed with two tonfa staffs equipped with spiked maces at the end of the shafts. Silver could tell just from his presence he was a cut above the other two.

"I take it you're the new leader of those two stooges? Who are you supposed to be?"

"I'm the older brother of those stooges, and no one calls them stooges but me. The name's Redd."

"Red? Like the color? That's…very basic," Silver said as he drew Fenrir from their holsters.

"Redd with two D's. I'll be sure to carve it on your body once I'm done."

Redd spun his tonfas around before charging at Silver who aimed his guns at him. He opened fired, but Redd blocked the bullets with his maces then jumped out of the way, revealing that Vermilion was behind him with his shotgun pointed at Silver. He fired a grenade from his equipped launcher at Silver who jumped out of the way, but Redd quickly intercepted by jumping on the side of a nearby building then swiftly jumping off of that to reach Silver's exposed backside. With both his spiked maces, he slammed down on Silver's back and sent him plummeting to the ground.

 _"_ _Okay, he's good. I'll give him that. Maybe I shouldn't have laughed at Ghost…. Nah, laughing was the right thing to do,"_ Silver thought while he was on the ground, but he didn't have time to think. The Vermilion Twins were already standing over him and prepared to use their weapons.

They were ready to put him through the ringer while Redd watched, but Remus teleported in between them and kicked the twins away from Silver. Before he could help his friend get up, Redd moved in to attack Remus when he wasn't expecting it. He swung one of his maces at Remus and knocked him aside into a building, making a hole in the wall that he fell through. Redd was about to smash Silver, but he quickly moved away when he knocked away Remus. He got some distance fired some fire dust shots at him and he hit him in the arm and shoulder, but red didn't seem that fazed since his aura took the majority of the hit.

Redd ignored Silver and walked over to the hole in the building Remus was in. Silver tried to fire more shots at him again to stop his advancements, but the twins were currently blocking his path. This was the first time they actually posed a threat and Silver was a little nervous. Vermilya moved in to cleave him with her axe while her brother aimed his shotgun at him. They were coming from both sides, so Silver's only option was to use Gravity and jump up. He did jump, but Redd aimed one of his tonfa maces at him and energy began emitting from the ball and spikes. The twins took cover as Redd unleashed an endless swarm of small lightning sparks from the mace and the range of the attack was extremely wide. It attacked everything around it except Redd, each small energy bullet pelleting buildings and creating small holes everywhere. Silver was hit by a large amount of the energy bullets and his aura was taking a really bad beating before he even landed back on the ground.

Redd was ready to smash his face in with his tonfa maces, but Remus teleported to his blindside and slashed him with his dual swords. Redd's reflexes were quick engouh to block the attack and his physical strength prevented him from being knocked back like Remus wanted. Instead, Redd lifted his leg to kick Remus, but he used Checkpoint again to swiftly make it to Silver's side and teleport again to the roof of a two-story building, out of the twins' and Redd's sight. They made it to the roof and Remus crawled to the edge to scout the enemy. Silver was trying to compose himself against the powerful threat then changed Fenrir into its sniper form.

"This Redd guy is no joke. He actually makes the other two a problem," Silver said in a hushed voice so only Remus could hear.

"Maybe you should stay back until Violet gets here," Remus said as he turned to face Silver. "You took more of a hit than I did in this fight."

Silver looked at Remus to see he was pretty roughed up from going through that building. He felt like they were in the same boat because they underestimated how one person completely changed the flow of battle. Silver knew he was the lazy type, but he wasn't going to let someone fight his battles for him, even if it was a tough one. Silver crouched over to Remus and positioned Fenrir so he could scope them out.

"And leave you to fight alone? Hell no. You'd be completely hopeless without. And if Violet found out I left you to fight on your own, well, anything she'd do is worse than what those three could think of. What have I got to lose?" Silver said as he looked through the scope of his sniper rifle.

The twins and Redd were looking around for them, but none of them were looking up. Vermilya and Vermilion were getting rather impatient and started turning over random items while shooting and cutting the surrounding buildings. Silver and Remus didn't really care about collateral damage, but they were working for Clair and were sure she wouldn't want her town to be destroyed. Remus teleported into the fray and used Checkpoint again, but instead of using it to create some distance, he used it to expand the blue smoke that comes after he teleports to create a smokescreen that covered the entire street. This would've usually been the time Remus and Silver initiate Stormcloud, but instead of doing their alternative team move, Remus exited the smokescreen. Silver aimed his sniper at the smokescreen to look for any motions or shadows. He found Vermilion traversing through the smokescreen and fired an electric shot at him, electrifying him then knocking him to the ground. He fired another lightning round at him, but Vermilya blocked the shot using her axe to successfully shield her brother. Silver quickly fired three bullets of ice dust at her to freeze her arms and legs to keep her in place. Remus decided to move in and take them down now that the twins were vulnerable, but Redd wasn't going to lose like this. He raised his tonfa maces in the air, activating the dust inside them, and indiscriminately fired electric bullets in every direction, dispersing the smokescreen and hitting everything and everyone, including his siblings who were being pelted by the barrage of electric spikes.

A spray of spikes reached Silver who crouched from his perch to get out of the line of fire and Remus deflected some with his swords. Despite his efforts to protect himself, the electricity running through his blade and reaching his body, numbing his body. Remus was getting to slow to deflect all the shots and he was gradually taking hits, lowering his aura level. Redd finally ceased his action once he got rid of all the smoke then surveyed the area, seeing his siblings on the ground in pain from his attack, but he didn't care as long as he got Remus and Silver. He noticed that Silver was nowhere to be seen and Remus was on his right, kneeling from paralysis. Redd grabbed his tonfa maces and walked over to an unsuspecting Remus, who was looking down at the ground due to pain. Silver got up to check the situation and saw Redd headed toward his friend with his weapons in hand. The gunman realized what Redd was going to do and he aimed his sniper rifle at him, but Redd quickly threw one of his tonfa maces his way without looking at Silver, meaning he found out Silver's hiding place. The tonfa mace's energy coursed through the club as it crashed into the edge of the roof Silver was perched. Once it made contact, the energy surged outward, destroying more of the building and pushing Silver off it onto the other side where he couldn't see what was happening.

"Dammit!" he cursed as he activated Gravity to jump over the building to see what was happening.

He got over the building to see Redd standing over Remus who finally got his second wind and gripped his dual swords to fight him. While in midair, Silver aimed his sniper rifle at Redd's head, but got hit by a grenade that exploded in his face. Vermilion was on ground level with his shotgun and grenade launcher aimed at Silver's location. Silver fell from the sky and landed back on the damaged roof of the building. Silver's aura was on the brink of breaking along with his ego due to being beaten by the Vermilion Twins.

Redd was brought his tonfa mace up to swing at him while Remus got up to retaliate while also berating himself in his head for such a sloppy performance in this fight, also thinking Lupa would grade him poorly now that she's a professor. Redd was in his swinging motion and tried to knock Remus' head clean off, but he felt something jab his chest. There was nothing there, but a small fiery explosion appeared out of nowhere, knocking him away from a confused Remus. Redd fell to the ground, but he tried to quickly get back up, but heard something land in front of him even though nothing was there. Two Enigmas appeared in front of him then exploded, pushing him further back near his siblings.

Remus was flabbergasted at first until someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to see Violet finally arrived to the battle. He felt relieved she finally made it and she smiled at him for a minute before speaking.

"Sorry I took so long getting here. You wouldn't believe the traffic," she joked, but Remus took her seriously.

"Traffic? I don't think anyone owns a car here except us and Clair's task force."

Violet giggled then said, "Yes you're right, but it doesn't matter. I'm here now so let's do this. Where's Silver?" she asked as Vermilya ran toward her with her axe. She looked rather happy that Violet finally appeared, showing Vermilya never got over her crush on Violet.

Violet threw another Enigma at the infatuated women and the knife released a small gust of wind that pushed Vermilya back into a wall. She continued to look at Remus to answer her question. Remus pointed at the roof of a building to let his leader know where Silver was.

Do you want me to get him?" he asked, but Violet shook her head.

"Let me. I want to test out my new gear, but I do want you to be my support," Violet told him and he nodded.

Vermilion fired a grenade at them, but Violet threw a fire Enigma at the small explosive before it even reached them and it exploded. She ran right at the Vermilions and Redd looked at her in anger while his siblings ran at her to attack. Violet threw an Enigma with wind dust at them, forcing them to stop their blind charge as the knife hit the ground, just as she planned. She jumped over the knife and wind erupted from it, carrying her above the siblings with the roof being her destination. Vermilion was about to shoot her down, but Remus teleported in and slashed him and his sister with his swords to stop their actions. He teleported out before Redd could attack him which frustrated the young criminal. Remus continued to attack and harass them until Violet came back with Silver.

When Violet made it to the roof, she found Silver leaning against the side of the roof, looking like he was beaten very badly and really needed her help. The first thing Violet did when she saw her hurt friend was laugh at him for nearly losing to the Vermilions. Silver silently glared at her then realized he did the exact same thing to Ghost and realized this was some kind of karma created by the whims of Fortuna.

"You okay tough guy?" she asked after she ceased her laughter.

"I've been better. You got your new daggers?" he asked casually like his body wasn't writhing in pain right now. Violet showed him her new daggers and he whistled.

"Those are nice. You gonna use them right now?" he asked as Violet jumped onto the edge of the roof.

"Of course. This'll make a good field test," she said as she pulled her new kukris out then jumped off the roof. Silver wanted to tell her to be careful before she left.

Violet watched Remus distract the Vermilions as she fell to the ground then activated the fire dust in one of the kukris. Before she landed on the ground, she swung one of her blades, creating a burning wave of fire at the unsuspecting twins and Remus, who saw it coming. He teleported right before the fiery wave hit the twins. Redd turned to see Violet come down and realized she was ruining everything so he decided to make her his next target. He took a few steps forward, but his sister beat him to his target as Vermilya sprinted to Violet and raised her axe.

"Finally! I get to have another bout with you, beloved. Your friends are great, but you're a cut above the rest," the fire-haired girl said as she brought her axe down on Violet.

Violet nimbly avoided the axe then moved in to land several slashes with her kukris, cutting down the last of her aura, then jumped to knee Vermilya in the jaw followed by a punch to her temple to knock her out. Vermilya fell to the ground, unconscious with a smile on her face and flushed skin. Irritated that his sister was defeated by her own delusional affections, Redd continued his previous attempt of trying to confront her, but Vermilion took the initiative by aiming his shotgun at Violet. His hand pulled the trigger, but Remus was faster as he teleported himself onto Vermilion's back then teleported himself and Vermilion to Redd's backside. Remus' move caused Vermilion to fire his shotgun on his older brother, who was pushed to the ground by the force. Remus teleported away from Vermilion so when Redd turned around he only saw his brother looking dumbfounded at what happened. Redd's vermilion colors were showing as he succumbed to anger and smashed his tonfa mace against Vermilion, breaking his aura and knocking him out. Violet and Remus were surprised by his foolish actions, but ran with it since it made things easier for them. She activated the ice dust in both her kukris to cover her daggers in thick layers of ice, creating jagged ice blades in both her hands.

Redd realized he was surrounded and decided that continuing the fight would be foolish. He activated the dust in his mace and poured the majority of his aura into it to increase the effect of what he was going to do next. Using the only tonfa mace he had in his hands, Redd slammed it into the ground to create a massive explosion that pushed everything and everyone away from him. Violet threw four earth Enigmas at the ground in front of her to make a shield to protect her, but the explosion was too strong and the force broke apart the stone barrier, knocking Violet hard against a building wall. Remus couldn't teleport inside the explosion because it would hurt gravely, so he teleported far away from the battlefield. Silver was pushed of the roof and was heading toward the ground, but he used his Gravity to levitate in the air instead of landing on the ground face first. The Vermilion Twins were defenseless as their big brother's explosion damaged their unconscious bodies while sending them further down Liberia's street. The explosion ended, leaving the area greatly damaged with buildings being either destroyed or in need of repair. Violet got up to fight Redd, but he was nowhere to be seen. She deduced that Redd used that explosion as a distraction to get away and she also guessed he was smarter than his siblings if he could come up with that plan.

Remus teleported to her side asking, "Do you want me to go after him?"

Violet thought about it for a moment then sucked her teeth in because she had to say, "No. Silver comes first and he needs to be taken home," she looked at the defeated Vermilion Twins and said, "And we have to take these two in while they're down. Our mission was to capture the twins and whoever was leading them, hopefully Clair will accept this."

Silver was levitating two feet above the ground waiting for his friends to get him before he hit the ground and get a mouthful of sand. While Violet and Remus were discussing what to do next, Silver was wondering when his so-called friends were going to help him.

 **Setting: Clair's Office**

Clair was sitting in her office with Bianca by her side and Violet stood before her with a report of the mission. They didn't complete the objective given to them and Liberia was in a state of disrepair. Despite getting her new daggers, Violet wasn't pleased with how today was going and neither was Clair. She had a rather displeased look on her face after hearing Violet's details of the mission.

"This is rather surprising. The Vermilions have become a greater threat in Fortuna now that heir brother is here," Clair said as she looked at Violet. "At least the twins are behind bars. They won't be a problem anymore, however this Redd person managed to escape and he was the real force behind their criminal activities so…"

"So?" Violet repeated, but she what was coming next.

"I can't pay you for a half-baked assignment," Clair said and she looked as sorry as she could so she wouldn't hurt Violet's feelings.

Violet couldn't blame Clair for declaring their mission a failure, but she was still disappointed with the results after so much effort. She sighed then said, "I thought as much. I would've said the same. If you want, we can go after him."

Clair shook her head. "No. That won't be necessary. My task force will be searching for him shortly and the battle with your team has most likely took a great toll on him. Redd will be hiding for now and if we don't find him, he'll probably leave Fortuna, or at least that's what I hope." Clair felt exasperated thinking about it. She never thought she'd learn about a person like Redd who could rally the incompetent twins and make them a dangerous menace.

"Now that my role as your employer is over, as a friend, I'd like to ask how you and your team are doing? I know this can't be a good feeling after parting with Zelts a couple hours ago," Clair said with concern.

"…Remus and Silver are at home licking their wounds. They got hit the worst, but our pride took a bigger hit than anything else. We'll bounce back from this. Zelts being gone doesn't change anything."

Clair grinned when she heard Violet's words and Bianca was happy to know Silver wasn't being a wimp about the mission.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Silver was laying on the sofa with an ice pack on top of his head. He groaned loudly for the longest time as he waited for his headache to cease and for Violet's return. Remus was in a funk ever since he came back home, probably from losing Redd in the fight and he could've gone after him. He was sitting on the sofa, upside-down, was actually pouting while grumbling to himself. It was a rare sight for anyone to see him display negative emotions, but Silver didn't care because his head was throbbing and that was more important to him. The two of them reacted when they heard the front door opened and were surprised to see that it wasn't Violet who entered their home.

"Bianca?" Silver said and she nodded then waved hello to Remus, who got out of his sitting position. He decided to stop pouting to greet her and tell her all about the things they did in Patch, but Silver spoke first.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you were not the woman I was expecting to see. Where's Violet?" Silver asked.

"Clair took her out to spend the day with her. She wanted to cheer her up, but I don't think Violet is upset about the mission," Bianca answered. Silver thought that was something Clair would do.

"So, Clair took Violet out for a date? Alright. I guess you're here to see if I'm alright?"

"Pretty much. Violet said you guys had it rough. Just wanted to check up on you," Bianca said as she walked over to Silver. She sat next to him and gently placed her hands on his head then brought it down to lay it on her lap. She removed his ice pack to stroke his head and Silver liked it. If he knew getting his ass handed to him would bring out Bianca's more nurturing side, he would've done it years ago. He was loving the affection, but something, or someone, was an eyesore.

"Remus. Get Out."

Bianca was shocked that Silver commanded his friend to leave his own home and Remus gawked at him in confusion. He stood up, but looked at Silver for confirmation.

"Uh, huh? Silver… you…want me to leave?" Remus was very unsure why he had to leave and why Silver asked. He didn't know what brought this about so he asked, "W-why?"

"Bianca is here and we're going to spend some time together and I don't want a third wheel here, so please leave," Bianca stopped petting Silver's hair and tugged on a tuft on his silver hair to get him to stop.

Remus got up and walked to the door with uncertainty written all over his face then turned to Silver and Bianca one more time.

"Remus please don't go," Bianca insisted, but Silver quickly interjected.

"No, get the hell out," and Bianca pulled his hair again to make him stop.

"I don't understand-" Remus said, but Silver interrupted one last time.

"It's a couple's thing. You'd never understand- Gah! Stop doing that!" Silver said to Bianca who scowled at him.

"Um…okay. I'm… going to go see what Blood or Team CLSH is doing." Remus left albeit even more confused than before about what Silver meant.

Silver was glad he was gone, though the glare from his white-haired girlfriend meant he was in trouble. His headache finally dissipated, but he felt a new one was coming.

"You didn't have to do that Silver. That was just rude and that last comment was uncalled for," Bianca stated with a stern voice.

"I just really doubt Remus ever getting a girlfriend or a girl finding him interesting enough to date. Can you honestly see him trying to pick up women? Come on, I got him to leave so we could spend some quality time together. I consider him my brother, but he was kind of a wet blanket. Sure, it was abrupt, but trust me, being a straight talker is how you get through to him. Now it's just you and me." Silver got comfortable resting on Bianca's lap, but that ended when she got up, almost making Silver fall off the sofa.

"Correction Silver. It's just you," Bianca said as she walked to the door.

"Huh? Where are you going?"

"Find Remus. Maybe I'll take him out on a date," she teased as she looked at a flabbergasted Silver. She didn't like his behavior today, especially his treatment toward Remus, so she thought he needed to be taught a lesson.

"You can't be serious?" Silver said.

"You wouldn't understand," she said as her final words before closing the door. Using his own words against him was the icing on the cake that left him completely speechless as he just laid on the couch. He was by himself, grumbling about how things turned out. After everything that happened, Silver could honestly say this certainly wasn't his day.

* * *

 **Violet's new daggers have four slots for dust. Three are already filled with fire, ice, and gravity while the fourth is empty so Violet can fill it with whatever dust she wants from her own private collection. Since this fourth slot always changes, it acts as a wildcard which is a fitting term for Violet who is based on Alice in Wonderland.**

 **The relationship between Violet and Clair could be defined as sisterly love. Clair is the doting older sister that is overly affectionate. Violet is the younger sister that likes to hang out with her sister and doesn't mind the closeness, but the kisses are really pushing it. Clair is like this with most people she likes, but Violet is one of her favorites.**

 **Bianca actually did go out with Remus to see a movie and enjoy each others' time. Remus told Silver when he got back and it only made the gunman jealous and plan some sort of payback against his friend.**

 **Redd actually left Fortuna because staying wasn't a smart move now that Clair's task force was searching for him. He doesn't feel the need to avenge his siblings since he thinks they're morons, but he won't forgive Team VRSZ for wounding his pride.**

 **The next chapter will focus on solely Grayson as he tries to find someone to become his new ally.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Seeing the World in Gray**

 **Setting: Stone Fortress**

In the far, uncharted unknowns of the Vacuo, a large stone structure stood among pillars of earth. It was a cavern with a small entrance, but the inside didn't run very deep, but it served its purpose for the one occupying it. Inside the cavern were several piles of items; Various vials of dust, an assortment of weapons, and the largest one was a pile of Lien. The place was littered with various treasures. There was a mattress near one of the cavern walls and a table at the other. At the table was Grayson who was checking his scroll for something. He had a bored expression as he ferociously tapped on his scroll to the point it looked like he could break it.

"You gonna do that all day?" someone asked Grayson. He looked up to see an older man looking at him. The person Grayson looked at was an older man in his late fifties. He had lightly tanned skin and a gruff exterior. The only kind of facial hair the man had was a five-o clock shadow. He was equipped with a camo-printed military vest and dark brown cargo pants. He had something wrapped around his right leg that looked like a metal sheath.

Grayson looked at him then back at his scroll "Yeah. It's the reason I called you to help Adrik. I have a potential ally somewhere in Vacuo and I'm waiting to get her location."

"Her? Your new partner in crime is a girl?" Adrik said in disbelief and Grayson feigned offense.

"Ah! You don't think a girl could do the dirty work mercenaries do? That's so sexist! And I know from personal experiences that there are some who can do the work, even if they annoy the hell out of you," Grayson said with his thoughts on the leader of the freelancers. Thinking about her left a sour taste in his mouth, so he changed the subject.

"Never mind. I asked for your help because I don't really know what I have to go through to reach her so I need your versatility. My new friend said her place isn't really welcoming to my kind. Plus, you're my oldest associate in this job. I like having you around."

"Oldest partner age-wise or because we've known each other for years?" Adrik asked with a crooked smile and Grayson smiled back.

"Both. You are old and you helped me start out as a mercenary when I was twelve. Closest thing I have to a father really, not that I knew him."

"You really are a bastard, in birthright and as an insult," Adrik joked and Grayson laughed until his scroll finally chimed.

He opened his scroll and checked the coordinates his unknown partner sent him. Grayson arched an eyebrow in confusion. Adrik noticed and wondered what could have his comrade in such a state.

"What's wrong?" Adrik asked.

"I'm still new to Vacuo and I never heard of this place. Do you know a place named Virago?"

"Not a place for men. It's not a very developed place, but it's lasted longer than most. It's filled with a lot of female warriors that mean business. You won't be able to get in there without a fight and doubt you could make it on your own. Which is exactly why you brought me here…and him," Adrik pointed at the burly man sitting in one of the cave's corners.

The person in question was a burly man sitting in front of the cave's wall with his legs and arms, eyes closed as he breathed rhythmically. He had long brown haired that reached the back of his neck and wore a dark brown muscle shirt with tan pants.

"Hey Bruno. You coming to help?" Grayson asked, but didn't receive a response.

"…..."

"…Alright, fine. Cheaper for me since I only have to pay Adrik," Grayson said.

"We've been friends for a long time Grayson. Mentor and apprentice. It would be wrong of me to take your money," Adrik said with a grin.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me…you want me to pay you anyway, don't you?"

"Of course. I don't work for free."

 **Setting: Virago**

Grayson and Adrik were riding through the desert on top of an unusual motorcycle. It didn't have wheels, but it was glowing green and purple where the wheels should've been. Even Adrik asked Grayson about it and the young mercenary answered that he stole it from his last venture in Atlas. He was paid to steal this prototype vehicle from an Atlas laboratory, but when he saw the motorcycle, Grayson took that and the money he was paid to steal it. The motorcycle was an experimental vehicle that ran on dust, specifically a combination of wind and gravity dust to make it hover and move. It made it very easy for them to move through the desert sand and for Grayson to jump a sand dune for some air time, much to Adrik's dismay, until they reached Virago. Grayson stopped a couple miles away from the town so he and Adrik could discuss their next move.

"So, what's the plan?" Adrik asked Grayson who responded with the only answer he had.

"Uh don't know," Grayson replied and it bothered Adrik. The fact that he couldn't even say the full 'I don't know' made it worse. It showed he really planned to have no plan.

"You suck you know that?" Adrik asked rhetorically then said, "Do you remember the first thing I taught you all those years ago?"

"Don't let them go for your eyes?" Grayson answered in humor.

"Always have a plan smartass."

"I like to wing it sometimes. We just have to find a way to find my friend then get out of here. Easy," Grayson said.

"Do you at least know who you're looking for?"

"I don't know what she looks like, but her name is Alexandrite. I told her when we get there she'll know who we are," Grayson answered, but Adrik wasn't pleased.

"Is your plan to ask everyone there?"

"No, but I might've come up with something. It involves two distractions; you and that." Grayson pointed his finger at something moving in the distance, but Adrik paid more attention to the part about him being the distraction. He was beginning to regret ever meeting this boy in the first place.

 **Setting: Virago**

The village known for women being the dominant sex and men being second-class citizens was enjoying one of its more peaceful days. The place grew in size thanks to more residence coming to stay, pitching more tents for their homes. The people were happy, including the men who were forced to were collars and follow their superiors around the area at all times. It was an ordinary day for the denizens for about two more minutes until random explosions went off. Nothing was damaged, but it didn't stop people from running in panic.

Adrik ran onto the scene with his hand on his metal holster. It didn't take long for three of Virago's female warriors to enter the scene and look at Adrik as the perpetrator. They had assault rifles aimed at him as he pulled out a mechanical blade from his sheath and the blade began to surge with electricity, unveiling Adrik's taser blade. The women were prepared to riddle him with holes, but another explosion just went off nearby, distracting them long for Adrik to get in close. He slashed two of them with his blade and the electricity ran through their bodies, numbing and paralyzing them from any further action. The sole warrior fired at him, but he used his aura to manipulate and release some of the electricity from the blade to make an electromagnetic force field that stopped the bullets in their tracks before they fell to the ground. Before she could retaliate any further, he used his aura to change his weapon again, using the electricity to change the blade into a strong magnet that pulled the assault rifle out of her grasp and stick right onto the blade. The warrior got into a fighting stance for a brawl, but Adrik sent a wave of lightning at her, knocking her away from the fight because he knew he could never take any of Virago's warriors hand to hand. He just needed to last long enough for Grayson to come back. Adrik ran rampant around Virago, throwing small bombs he acquired from Grayson all over the area to spread chaos and panic as Grayson ordered.

More warriors were responding to the attack and were beginning to chase after him. It didn't help that Virago was very underdeveloped so there weren't many buildings for him to take cover or hide in. Adrik was running away until he felt something grip his leg and caused him to fall into the sand. He looked down to see a whip lassoed around his ankle by one of the warriors while two more were coming for him. They were equipped with wooden staffs to counter his taser blade's magnetism, showing they were quickly adapting to his arsenal. Adrik sent a lightning wave at them, but they dodged by jumping in the air and were now trying to land on top of him. He was able to use his sword to block one staff from landing on him, but the other jabbed him very hard on his lower abdomen. Adrik quickly cut the whip off his leg and tried to fight off the two women that were pummeling him with their staffs, chipping away at his aura. He cut one of the staffs in half, but that didn't deter the wielder from using both small pieces.

Adrik wasn't the same youthful bounty hunter he used to be. He had decades of experience, but that doesn't help an aging body that couldn't keep up the everything that was going on around him. Realizing he was on the losing side of this fight, Adrik threw the last of his explosives at them and the explosion got everyone, including himself. He was sent hurdling through the air and landing on the stairs of a building, hurting his back, but his aura protected him from any serious damage. He was about to get up until he saw a large woman standing above him on the top of the stairs and it wasn't any regular warrior either. This was the monarch of Virago and friend of Clair de Lune Vantablack, Saffron, equipped with a menacing whip of her own.

"Shit!" Adrik cursed as he quickly got up to fight her.

Saffron showed him no mercy as she cracked her whip at him right when he got up. Her attack lashed at his back, damaging his aura greatly and knocking to the ground a second time before he quickly got back on his feet. The other female warriors of Virago entered the fray, but Saffron ordered them not to interfere and to keep a perimeter around them so Adrik couldn't escape. Adrik moved in to attack Saffron with his taser blade, but her whip began to glow red and tried to attack him again. He was able to side roll away and saw how the end of her whip exploded when it made contact with the ground, making Adrik realize that fire dust was attached to the whip somewhere. Adrik ran closer to her and he tried to land several blows against Saffron, but she nimbly dodged each strike very well for a woman her size and it frustrated the veteran. She quickly spun her body, retracting the whip and making it twirl around her body until she stopped and whipped it out again. This whip attack covered more of the area than just a single point like her previous move. Adrik couldn't dodge this one as the bulk of the whip struck him in the gut, pushing him into the ground and his aura was reaching the end of its rope. Grayson's plan was taking a toll on Adrik and he was about to meet his end until a new element entered the scene.

Three Deathstalkers breached Virago's borders and began attacking people and destroying buildings. On top of one of them was Grayson with his broadsword in hand as he kept the other on the Grimm so he wouldn't fall off. This ploy was able to drive Saffron and her warriors' attention away from Adrik. Seeing the real threat to her people, Saffron ordered everyone to exterminate the Grimm, leaving Adrik on the ground wheezing for air. He was reaching his physical limit too fast and that didn't sit well with the veteran. As Saffron's forces were dealing with the new threat, Grayson let himself off the Deathstalker by throwing his sword into the wall of a nearby building and used the cable pull himself in to reach his ally. After reaching the building then jumping off to land on the ground, Grayson made his way to his partner in crime. He looked at Adrik with a mixture of pity, amusement, and something else.

"You've seen better days," Grayson stated as he watched the old bounty hunter pick himself off the ground.

"I'm not as spry as I used to be. What can I say? I've gotten old," Adrik said nonchalantly. He moved his body around to make sure nothing was misplaced after his one-sided tussle.

"Heh, you must be if you use words like 'spry'. Anyway, Alexandrite should be coming soon. It won't be hard to find us in this chaos."

"What took you so long?" Adrik asked, ignoring his friend's words. He wasn't happy that Grayson took his sweet time with phase two.

"It wasn't easy luring them here, even with the negative emotions from the panic you caused earlier, but I'm here now, so no worries." Adrik wasn't happy, but he couldn't complain about being pulled out of the fight.

Saffron's forces were doing their best to stop the Deathstalkers, kill them, or drive them away from Virago. They weren't many structural buildings in Virago, so the damage was very little, but many residential tents were being trampled and destroyed by the Grimm walking all over them. The only real building that was destroyed was a restaurant and the female warriors were driving the perpetrator Grimm away. Saffron herself faced another with her whip. She whipped it at the Deathstalker's tail, wrapping it around the stinger before she forcefully pulled on it. Her action ripped the stringer off the tail and she brought her whip down on the Grimm, bringing the stinger down on the Grimm's skull. With the first one dead, she moved on to the next one that was trying to run away after destroying her favorite restaurant. The third Deathstalker chose to flee by tunneling beneath the sands so no one could follow.

"If you can't make it out of here, I'll leave you behind," Grayson stated to Adrik who was looking better than he did before now that he got his second wind. Before Adrik could say anything back to him, the two were approached by a young woman.

She was tall in stature, not as tall as Saffron, but she towered over the two of them. She wore a black skinsuit with white lines outlining the attire. The suit covered her entire body except for her head and hands. Her skin was slightly kissed by the sun and her eyes were gray. The thing that stood out the most about her was her hair. It was white with several strands of hair in different colors, red, green, blue, pink, purple and pink. In her right hand was a spear with a large spearhead and curved blades on each side that could also function as an axe. She was a beauty and Grayson could admit being physically attracted to her. She was a sight to behold and Grayson made a good guess who she was.

"Alexandrite?" he asked.

"Grayson?" she responded with sarcasm then said, "I thought you'd be taller?"

"I thought you'd be shorter. A lot shorter, but hey, our expectations never match to the real thing. Oh, Alexandrite, this is Adrik, a veteran and helper in your recruitment," Grayson said.

Adrik and the large girl shook hands and he could tell she was strong based on her firm grip. He thought it was good her stature wasn't just for show. The three of them noticed that the battle between Virago's forces and the sole remaining Deathstalker was coming to an end with the Grimm on its last legs. Not wanting Virago's attention to turn on them, Grayson decided now was the time to leave and any discussion about Alexandrite's employment would have to wait. He led lead them out of Virago and left the clean up to the locals as the trio made their way to his motorcycle.

Walking through the desert, Adrik was trailing behind due to the injuries he sustained from his previous battles. Alexandrite stopped to look back at him, but Grayson wasn't batting an eye as he made his way to where he left his ride. Adrik was making his way through the sand until he felt himself moving while he was standing still. He looked down to see he was being pulled in by a large pit of sand that just formed near them. At the bottom and center of the pit was the only Deathstalker that got away. It was trying to pull in the trio and it succeeded in trapping Adrik. He struggled to get out, but ultimately had no means of escape and was screaming for help.

"HHHHHEEEELLLLLPPPPP! GRAYSOOOONNN!"

Grayson turned around and ran to Alexandrite's side. He pulled out his broadsword and gave it to her while he used the cable attached between the sword's hilt and his wrist to make his way down. Grayson's descent into the pit was fast as Adrik did his best to crawl up to avoid being eaten or killed by the Deathstalker that was waiting for its prey to arrive. Grayson finally reached his hand out to his comrade/father-figure and Adrik did the same. Grayson's hand reached Adrik's, but he didn't grab it. Instead, he went further down to the taser blade on his arm.

"This'll come in handy or fetch a nice price. Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet," Grayson said as he put the weapon in one of his pants pocket.

"Grayson! What are you doing?! Get me-"

"Here, hold these." Grayson pulled out a handful of his bombs from the pocket of his dark green jacket and tried to place them in Adrik's hand, but the veteran couldn't believe his young friend was going to use him like this.

He tried to reach for Grayson to grab hold, but only managed to grab the sleeve of his jacket. Not wanting the dead weight, Grayson quickly took it off, leaving his jacket with all his bombs behind so he could escape unscathed. The cable began to retract and pull him back to the surface as he watched Adrik meet his doom.

"Sorry man. Can't have someone who slows me down on my team. But at least you'll out with a bang. Hah! See what I did there?"

Grayson made his way out and walked away with Alexandrite as Adrik and the bombs scattered around him reached the Deathstalker. He let out one more scream before he met his end. As the trio, now duo, walked to Grayson's motorcycle, a massive explosion went off behind them. It was dead silent after that as Grayson got on his motorcycle with Alexandrite sitting behind him. The ride back was uneventful,except for one time Grayson pulled out Adrik's taser blade, contemplated his previous actions, and regretted what he had done.

 _"_ _I'm really gonna miss that jacket,"_

 **Setting: Grayson's Base**

Grayson finally returned to his stone fortress and invited his new partner in. She looked around, but didn't seem too impressed. Her eyes rested on Bruno sitting in the corner in the same position he was in hours ago. She pointed and asked, "Who's he?"

"Another partner in crime. Don't worry about him. He's just here to test how strong you are," Grayson answered as he looked at her. He noticed that her gray eyes changed some time ago because they are green right now.

"So, do you treat all your partners like you did to that old man back there?" She asked point blank and he chuckled.

"Only the ones whose usefulness have run out and I don't think that'll be a problem with you."

"Hmmm. You're right about that. In fact, you better not slow me down or else the same thing will happen to you," she responded and he laughed even though she was stating a fact.

The air between them was rather friendly for people who'd openly betray one another when they felt like it. That was the type of person Grayson was, a guy who could gather enemies, adversaries, and people who want him dead to join his side. He's a liar among liars, the roguest of rogues, and a thief among thieves. And he added another member to his growing list of connections.

"Alright Alexandrite. Show me what you can do."

* * *

 **Adrik's name means dark in Russian.**

 **Bruno's name means brown in German.**

 **Alexandrite is named after the gemstones which is known for coming in a variety of colors. This trait corresponds with the different colored strands of hair. Her eyes also change color, but unlike other eye changers in RWBY whose eyes change based on the situation, Alexandrite's eyes change colors randomly.**

 **Alexandrite only wears the form fitting suit for two reasons. The first was because she likes wearing it and the second was because she doesn't need anything armor or anything like that because of her semblance.**

 **Turquoise's semblance is water manipulation, but the name of her semblance hasn't been said in the series. She calls her semblance Aquarius.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Homecoming**

 **Setting: Fortuna**

The freelancers finished two missions in a row in the last twenty-seven hours. The first job was from a former member of the White Fang who wanted to start a new life, but his old associates were blackmailing him to commit crimes so he hired the freelancers to convince them to stop. They convinced them the best way they knew how by having Silver plant illegal weapons he got from the black-market area of the Bazaar and Violet tipped off Fortuna's task force about the White Fang's presence. The second mission took them outside Fortuna to a small settlement. The job was to stop some scoundrels from routinely ransacking their residents and only stores which they accomplished with relative ease. Now that they made some Lien, the team was enjoying some relaxation time.

Remus was actually doing a favor for Sterling by doing some deliveries around Fortuna. The locations of the deliveries were scattered around every corner of the town. It would've been a chore for Sterling or anyone else, but Remus' Checkpoint let him reach all twelve addresses in under a minute. The time wasn't a problem, but he still felt sick to his stomach when he does teleports back to back like that, so Remus decided to walk home. Turning the corner, Remus stopped when he saw his friend Blood waiting for him with a semi-serious look.

On the other side of town, Violet and Silver were testing out their new abilities by doing a fun exercise; parkour. They were leaping from building to building, doing agile tricks to get around. Fortuna wasn't known for tall buildings. Most of them were two-stories at the most and the tallest one was Concordia which was four-stories tall, but they made it work. Silver used Gravity to jump high in the air then practiced his levitation when he was high enough to work on moving and it was working. It took some time, but he realized he could move using his body. The sensation was similar to free falling, but he could only move in a horizontal fashion and down. Moving up on his own was still out of his reach. Violet was using the Gravity dust in her new kukris to manipulate her own gravity as Silver does with his semblance. She could walk on the surface of walls and ceilings, but that was the limits of gravity outside of combat. Silver hovered to the top of a two-story building while Violet ran up the side in order to get a good feel of her new technique.

"What do you think? Pretty cool huh?" she asked Silver once she made it to the top.

"You know, walking on walls isn't cool if everyone else can do it. Almost feel like you don't need me anymore," Silver said as he pointed to her daggers.

She smiled and thought it was best to tease him. "Silver. Are you jealous of weapons? You know they could never replace you. I mean, who else is going to cook me dinner after a hard day's work?"

"Oh haha, I feel so special. Not that your new toys could ever best my skillset. Ready to keep going?" Silver said as he was ready to jump again until something zipped by at fast speeds.

It turned out to be Hazel using her Hive as a jetpack. Violet turned to see Sapphire trailing behind using her cables from her Spinnerets to swing around from building to building. The two were returning home from academy classes until they saw Violet and Silver leaping around. They decided to join in for some after-school fun. The four of them traveled around Fortuna for two hours. Hazel wasn't doing parkour like the rest of them, but she was doing a bunch of aerial maneuvers to impress her friends and it worked. Sapphire continued swinging around and Silver held on to her sometimes to get a feel of the wind flowing through his hair. Violet felt like she got a real handle on her gravity dust after today's fun and decided to call it a day and return back to base while the others had fun.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Violet walked back the base and noticed Remus and Blood were standing at the front door. She thought the two were going to have another duel, but that changed when she noticed there was no battle-ready look on Remus' face like he usually had when fighting someone like Blood. She could already tell this wasn't about a battle.

"Remus, Blood, what are you guys up to?" she asked curiously.

"I'm going to take Remus somewhere. Somewhere I think he's ready to go," Blood answered.

Violet glanced at her teammate who had no idea what the bat faunus was talking about until he continued.

"I'm taking him home. To the village where all the Cobalt tribe hail from."

Violet and Remus were both surprised by his words. She knew that Blood and Remus came from the same place, but she never thought about it any further than that. Their home was destroyed and deserted, a place she nor Remus thought they would go. This was surprising because she was curious about her friend's reaction and, more importantly, his well-being of seeing his home. However, she remembered that Remus' mind was wiped of any memories. She really wondered how he would react.

"Oh," was how she responded.

"Ever since I enlisted myself into Clair's employ, I planned to take Remus there to teach him and to get some insight on his people. However, there was never any time in my schedule to actually take him. Instead of waiting, I asked Clair if I could have some time do this and she complied. She really is a generous person…and now we're here," Blood explained and Violet asked one question.

"Um, is this a boy's trip or…can I tag along?" she asked, hoping Blood would allow her to join. She and Blood were good friends, but she didn't know if he planned this to be just him and Remus, meaning she might be intruding right now.

Blood grinned because he understood she wanted to come as emotional support if Remus even needed it. "Sure, I needed to use Fantasia anyway, and I know for a fact that Remus is a pretty horrible driver."

Remus crossed his arms and whispered to himself, "I've…gotten better. Don't know why people say my driving's bad…. I've been practicing…"

Violet giggled, "Oh, I can sing a few bars about that," Remus slumped his shoulders when he heard her say that. Violet continued, "I'll take us there. Just point me in the right direction."

Violet and Remus got ready for the trip while they were at their base. Blood waited and watched from the living room as the two did their work. He watched Violet put a large number of Chesire's Enigmas in her waist bag and Remus actually checking the mechanics of Romulus in its railgun form. Blood was surprised he was so meticulous about tuning up his weapon, though he was aware of Remus' strong attachment to it since he named it after his brother. Violet tapped on her scroll several times before putting it away.

"Alright, I sent a text to Silver. He knows we're going and he'll hold down the fort until we get back. Apparently, Team CLSH invited him on a tour of their academy so he'll be kept busy. You guys ready to go?"

 **Setting: Desert**

The trio of Violet, Remus, and Blood were traveling through the desert in Fantasia with Remus and Blood's home as the destination. Blood informed Violet that the village was located near the edge of Vacuo in the northeast and they should make it there in a day with no delays. Blood was sitting in the passenger seat and Remus was in the back, laying down on both seats, looking up at the sky with his bionic eye while the other's closed. His bionic eye wasn't sensitive to light like a normal eye.

Violet was stealing glances of Blood for some time since she's been driving. She tried to be discreet about it, but the winged faunus noticed it immediately and was waiting for her to speak up. Finally fed up with the uncomfortable looks, he spoke up.

"Anything I can help you with. You've been staring at me for most of the ride. Not sure why. Got something you want to ask?" Blood said as Violet focused on driving. She wasn't pleased with being caught, but she knew she wasn't trying her best to hide it.

"I know Remus doesn't remember anything about his home, but you do. Could you tell me what the village or the Cobalts were like?" She was hoping to get some actual answers.

She knew the pasts of all her members, but Remus' missing child years were the only thing she and he were missing. It didn't bother Remus at all because he never yearned to learn more about his past. He's the type of person that lives and thinks about the present, but Violet wanted to know mostly out of sheer curiosity.

"Hmmm, there's nothing really special about the village. It was a place the Cobalts called home along with other people, but if you want to understand the Cobalts themselves, then you need a look in Remnants' history. Remus, you better be listening too. You need to know more than she does."

Remus sat up properly in his seat to show he was listening. Blood began to tell the tale of the Cobalts.

"The name Cobalt has been around for a long time. Their clan was a line of warriors, some of the best in Remnant. Back in the day they weren't well known throughout Remnant but were renowned in Vacuo. Actually, the kingdom of Vacuo was worried about their growing strength, fearing the Cobalts could be a potential threat if they decided to raid the land. Somewhere down the line, the kingdom decided it was best to try and form an alliance with them to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and to their surprise, the Cobalts agreed. You see, the Cobalts are born warriors, but they aren't savages that look for fights like the usual thieves and scoundrels in Vacuo. Their core belief is fighting for something bigger than themselves. Choosing to side with the kingdom meant peace for them and the people who live there and it was peaceful…until the Great War."

"What happened in the Great War?" Remus asked, fully invested in the story.

"Vacuo entered the Great War as an ally to Vale to fight against Mantle and Mistral. Vacuo used the alliance between themselves and Cobalts to spur them into fighting for their land. They were a great power in the kingdom's forces. A couple of major battles in Vacuo were won with a Cobalt on the field and they became respected by all the other kingdoms."

"They sound incredible," Violet commented, fascinated by the history lesson.

"They were incredible and Vacuo recognized how valuable it was having the Cobalts by their side, but it didn't last forever. The Great War came to an end and resulted in many casualties, but the peace between kingdoms was forged from the fires of war. This brought about peace to the world, but it ended the alliance between the Cobalts and the kingdom forever."

"Really?" Remus asked.

"What was it that made them break ties with Vacuo? Did they actually dislike the notion of world peace?" Violet asked with concern. She didn't want Remus to feel like he came from a line of actual warmongers. She was relieved when Blood shook his head.

"It wasn't the peace that upset them, it was what was created from it. The leaders of each kingdom came together and decided to create new laws and decrees to prevent another war from happening ever again, but one thing that was born from this union was celebrated by all except the Cobalts."

"What?" Remus asked and Blood gave him his answer.

"The Vytal Festival."

"That thing the academies do every two years?" Violet asked then continued, "What was their problem with that?"

"Cobalts are a line of proud warriors. To them battles were for self-defense, protect others, eliminate enemies, life and death. They saw the tournament as nothing more than a disgrace. Fighting in front of spectators, for glory, purely for entertainment was something every Cobalt hated. Do you understand that Remus?"

Remus thought about it by looking back at his time in Never-End. He could admit to himself that he entered for the sole purpose of fighting and he enjoyed it, something very unlikely for a traditional Cobalt. His outlook changed when he battled Chrome and how he was beaten to near death with the crowd cheering for his demise. It wasn't a pleasant moment to look back on, but he understood why his people disliked tournaments and that kind of fighting.

"I do," he said out loud, but in his head, he made a promise to himself. He vowed to never participate in that type of fighting again and fight for the reasons his ancestors did; to protect themselves and others, for something greater than him.

"The alliance with Vacuo was broken and the Cobalts secluded themselves to their village. They stayed there till… till the time the Grimm came and wiped them out more than a decade ago. Now we have Remus Cobalt, the last Cobalt. You're their legacy Remus and I wanted to take you to your birthplace to truly realize that."

"…Um…okay," Remus answered. He was surprised by what Blood said and the added responsibility of being the last Cobalt. He never thought of it in the slightest until now. It was very unexpected.

Violet was driving Fantasia so she quickly turned around to get a glance at his face. She noticed how he was affected by the gravity of Blood's words. There wasn't anything she could say to him. Remus had to accept the facts Blood gave him. He sat in the back, thinking to himself about all the information he was given.

The ride to the village was very long and very quiet. Not a lot was said after Blood's semi-lecture and there weren't a lot of settlements or towns northeast of Vacuo so it was a straight shot to the village. The journey took the whole day and it was dusk before any of them knew it. Violet stopped the car so they could rest. She opened the trunk of the car to pull out one of the extra reserves of gasoline for the car and three bottles of water for everyone. The three of them were going to sleep in the car to get some rest until dawn and Blood would take over the driving. Blood lowered the driver's seat and laid down there, Violet did the same with the passenger's seat, and Remus laid down in the back, staring at the star-filled sky. Everything Blood told him was still on his mind.

He wasn't upset or happy with what he learned about the Cobalts. Honestly, Remus didn't know what to feel. He's a Cobalt, but he never had any real connection to that name and the fact that Blood told him he's the legacy of people he's never even met is the thing that kept him up at night and he wasn't the only one.

"Remus, are you alright?" she asked with concern.

"Yeah. It's just a lot to take in," he answered while still looking at the sky. Violet got in the back with Remus so they wouldn't wake up Blood. Remus sat up so she could take the seat next to him.

"I can imagine. Hearing about that stuff was really something. Your family is amazing," Violet complimented to lighten the mood, though she didn't know if he was even sad or upset. Remus' emotions were easy to discern ninety-nine percent of the time, but this was the rare one percent where no one could understand what he's feeling.

"Uh-huh. They're…great…and I'm supposed to be one of them. Even though I have no idea what that means."

"It doesn't mean as much as you think. You're still the same Remus Cobalt you always were, it's just that your last name has more meaning to you now. Nothing about who you are is going to change, I promise," Violet said with a small smile.

"…Do I really have a legacy to uphold?" he asked while slouching down, looking at the floor of the car. Violet could definitely understand something about family legacy.

"Remus, do you remember the time I told you and Silver my birth name and my family?" He nodded and she continued.

"My family is full of backstabbers and lunatics who'd betray each other if it meant a better seat at the table. My family is the worst group of people you could ever meet, let alone be related to. My own father, the head of that mad family, saw his own daughter as nothing more than a tool to increase his social status. Refusing to be part of that insanity, I decided to run away from it all and start a new life with a new name."

"…Um, why are you telling me this?" Remus asked, a little confused about why she was retelling her past.

"Legacies don't define a person. If that were true, then I'd be no different than my family, but look at me. I rejected everything about the Underlands and I'm better off because of it. The Cobalts are definitely better than my family, but their legacy doesn't have to define you either nor should it change who you are as a person. Despite what Blood told you, whether you uphold it or not is up to you because you have a choice," Violet explained and it gave Remus more to think about.

"And if you ask me, based on what Blood told us about your family so far, I think you're doing a great job keeping the legacy alive. You really are just like them, but that's to be expected from a fellow Cobalt, right?" she said with a grin to cheer him up and it worked. Remus felt a lot of weight leave his shoulders when she voiced her opinion about the matter.

Suddenly, Remus felt Violet's arm wrap around his shoulder. She pulled him in to lay his head on her shoulder while she leaned her head on his. Remus wasn't uncomfortable, but he was pretty confused about why she was doing this. "…Violet, what are you doing?" he asked as Violet kept a firm hold on him.

"This is how friends comfort each other when one of them is down," she answered.

"Oh," was the only thing he could say as Violet held his head in place for a couple more seconds before letting go. "Thanks," he said as he cracked his own smile.

Violet was happy to see he felt much better about this. "And if you want, you could the same thing I did and change your name," she said as a joke and Remus chuckled.

"What would I change it to?" he asked and she smiled.

"Doesn't matter. Make it anything you want."

"I could copy you and be Remus Tulipe."

"Sorry, only one person in the world can have that name. If you want, I could think of something for you?"

"No, no, no. It's my name, so I should think of it. Oh, I think I got one,"

Blood sat in his seat, eyes closed and silently listening to the whole conversation. He was feeling guilty about putting such a burden on Remus so quickly and was relieved to know Violet helped him feel better. Their humorous conversation was the last thing he heard before falling asleep with a grin on his face.

 **Setting: Destroyed Village**

In an unknown village, someone was there, resting on the roof of an abandoned build. The person couldn't be seen, because of the darkness of night, but their action could be discerned. The person was looking up at the sky like Remus was doing in the desert. The person was also holding onto some kind of stick-like object.

 **Setting: Desert**

The sun finally peaked over the horizon, signaling Blood that it was time to press on. He turned on the Fantasia's ignition and drove off, waking up the other two who were sleeping in the back while leaning against one another. The trio continued their long journey to the northeast corner of Vacuo where the desert area was beginning to change to grasslands. They encountered Grimm, but fought them all off, in fact, Blood gave Remus the wheel and he ran over any Grimm that had the misfortune of being in his path. After running them over, Remus would insist on driving to his home, but Violet and Blood were adamant about him not driving no matter how much he begged.

 **Setting: Cobalt Village**

It took them all morning to make it, but they finally made it to their destination. Blood stopped the car right at the entrance of a desolated village so they could walk through the destroyed gate. The village had many homes and buildings which was surprising for a settlement in Vacuo. The architecture of the buildings was quite detailed and pleasing to the eye, but that only applied for the buildings that were still standing. A lot of structures were destroyed and toppled over, obviously from the massive Grimm invasion, and the air of the place was hollow like it wasn't obvious enough that the place lacked life.

Remus looked around at the village, looking at each building, expecting to get some recollection or hidden memory, but nothing came to him. It showed just how effective Lupa's lobotomy procedure was. Violet took a look around the area herself to see what kind of life the Cobalts had and what kind of life her teammate would've had if the Grimm to exterminate them all. Blood walked into the village with purpose. He trekked all the way to the center of the village, where a large, but the demolished house stood along with the remains of a stone statue in front of the building. Despite most of it falling off, the statue was still discernible.

The lower half of the person's body was still intact, but the right of the torso was gone along with the right and left arms. The head of the statue was broken in half with the top of the head destroyed, leaving only the mouth and chin. Blood could tell this was a woman, and more importantly, someone he knew. He stared at it for so long that he didn't notice Violet trying to talk to him and neither of them were aware of someone approaching.

"Blood are you okay?" Violet asked with a hand on his shoulder.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm…fine," he answered back, but even he wasn't so sure.

Coming back to his home after the carnage he saw was harder than he thought. More than a decade passed since that day, and he still wasn't completely over it.

It was Violet's turn to look at the statue. She glanced at it then looked to Blood asking, "Do you know who that is?"

"…Yeah. Not someone I knew personally, but someone I admired when I was a kid. She's…"

"The former leader of the Cobalt line, Rhea Cobalt," a feminine voice said out of nowhere, surprising them both.

Violet and Blood quickly surveyed the area but didn't see anything until the door to the household behind the statue opened. The person that stepped forward was a young woman with a metal staff in her hand. Violet and Blood stared at her in confusion and disbelief. Remus caught up to his friends and got a look at the woman too.

The woman appeared to be in her early twenties and she wore dark purple shorts with a blue sleeveless shirt that had a black hood stitched to it. She wore black shoes and a silver armlet on her upper right arm. One thing that stood out the most was the strange markings around her arms and legs that could only be described as tattoos on first glance. However, to Violet and Blood, the markings weren't the things that drew their attention. It was the physical features she had that reminded them of Remus. She had dark skin, black hair that reached down to shoulders, and the thing that reminded them most about Remus was her golden amber eyes that looked like they were staring into their souls.

The woman glanced at the two for a minute before setting her eyes on Remus. She didn't say anything as she analyzed him with wide eyes. Remus noticed her stare and looked back, but he didn't come to the same conclusion as she did. No one said anything until Violet spoke up. "Who are you? I have a good guess, but-" Violet was interrupted by the woman.

"My name is Azura, Azura Cobalt. And who is _he_?" she asked while looking at Remus.

He didn't know why she was so interested in him and didn't see the harm in telling her his name. Violet and Blood, on the other hand, were warier of the unknown Cobalt.

"Hi, I'm a Cobalt too." Azura lifted her eyebrow in skepticism until he said, "My name is Remus Cobalt." Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Remus? Your name is Remus?" she asked. Her expression changed to shock as she waited for his reply.

"Yeah, Remus," he repeated.

Azura was speechless for a few seconds then walked up to him, or tried to until Violet got in her way, stopping Azura in her tracks. Violet didn't know Azura's real intentions, so she didn't want her anywhere near her teammate. Blood thought the same thing, but he was still astounded by the fact that there was another Cobalt in the world and wondered if they were more.

Azura didn't take a step further, lest she angered Violet, and asked Remus another question.

"Remus, do you…have a brother?"

"Oh, you mean Romulus. He isn't um…he's dead. Been dead for a long time and, well it's a long story, but he's gone," he answered rather sad about thinking about his brother and the Alpha, but quickly got over it.

Azura shocked expression remained as she came to a realization. "You really are Remus."

"Okay lady, what do you know? And what's your relationship with Remus and Romulus?" Violet asked in a demanding tone.

"Romulus and Remus. The sons of Rhea Cobalt, head of the Cobalt line," Azura said and it surprised everyone else.

Even Remus was astounded by this news. He returned to his old home, met another Cobalt who told him his birth mother was the clan leader. It was a lot to take in and it made him think about what Blood told him before, mostly about how accurate he was about legacy. Azura however, had a new expression on her face, a serious one and Violet took note of it.

* * *

 **Fortuna is very similar to Dubai in both location and design.**

 **The home for the Cobalts is called Cobalt Village in the setting, but that's not the village's real name. Truth be told, the Cobalts never decided on a name for their home because they didn't care.**

 **In mythology, Rhea Silvia is the mother of Romulus and Remus, just like in VRSZ. And Rhea's husband is unknown. There is a debate about the identity of their father with some myths claiming it to be Mars or Hercules, both gods of war. The two gods inspired my decision to make Remus and the entire Cobalt line, very battle-oriented.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to WishingDreamer5, who completed their 100 chapter story, Amnesia Completa after so many years. I've been a fan of WishingDreamer5's work before I even created my on fanfic profile, so I thought it was right to honor this accomplishment.**

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Cobalt Legacy**

 **Setting: Cobalt Village**

"I thought no one else survived the Grimm attack. I searched for others for years and found nothing, yet here you are. Another Cobalt. The true heir to the Cobalt name and son of that wretched woman. Of course, someone like you survived," Azura said, surprising Remus and Blood, but Violet was already coming to some conclusions.

"Wretched? What do you have against Lady Rhea?" Blood asked.

"She tried to change the rules of the family even if it meant the end of our way of living. Even though the Grimm destroyed us, she would've done so with her irrational ideas." Azura seemed to be glaring at Blood when she said that.

Blood wondered why but had a good idea what she meant. It was a problem he had to deal with from time to time. He forgot about after making a home for himself in Fortuna, but he had to remember that a lot of places and a lot of people weren't as open-minded.

"She extended our teachings, our way of life to others, to faunus," the Cobalt woman said with venom in her voice.

Blood looked at her with a stern look while Remus was confused. He asked, "What's so wrong about teaching faunus? If they want to help then that's a good thing, right?"

Azura looked at him with disdain when he said those words.

"That's exactly what Rhea said to my parents when they told her she was against this change. It was abominable. She was changing our way of life by letting vermin and mongrels into our lineage."

Blood's eyes squinted when he heard her use those choice of words. They were the same words he heard all his life and it stung more when it came out of the lips of a Cobalt, the warriors he always admired. This day wasn't going anyway like he thought it would. He felt a pit in his stomach that made him feel uneasy. Violet was pissed off that this woman not only had the gall to say that in front of a faunus, but she was also berating Remus' mother in front of him. She was ready to beat Azura to a pulp, but Remus' discussion with the other Cobalt was the only thing holding her back.

"I think making allies with faunus is a good thing. It-" he was interrupted when Azura groaned in frustration.

"Argh! You're exactly like your mother! Not realizing that sharing our sacred traditions would ultimately bring an end to our line. If it spread to outsiders, then it will become common knowledge which others will eventually pervert and exploit for their own gain. Not that it ever happened because of the Grimm, but I'm guessing he's one of them. One of the mutts she accepted and trained." Azura glared at Blood and he looked back, but with less intensity.

"If you lived in this village, then how did you survive the Grimm?" she asked him.

Blood looked down at the ground ashamed because he knew exactly how he made it out alive. "I ran away," he said with his head hanging low.

"Blood it wasn't your fault," Violet walked over to him, leaving Azura and Remus alone. "You were a kid back then, and even if you did fight, you would've died with everyone else. Without you, Remus wouldn't have known anything about where he came from."

"This is what I'm talking about. A true Cobalt would've stayed and fought to the death," Azura interjected and she was really getting on Violet's last nerve.

"Oh yeah? Then where were you when it happened?" Violet asked vehemently.

"I was nowhere near the incident because my parents were banished from the Cobalt line after going against Rhea's new way of governing. I was a child back then and my parents returned to the village when that day arrived. They said that they would defend their family even if they weren't welcomed and they died there, leaving me to grow and fend for myself."

Remus looked at Azura with sadness in his eyes. Her story wasn't' so different from his; someone sacrificing everything, even their own life just so they could live. He could sympathize with that, but her rejection of faunus and disrespect for his mother was something he couldn't agree with.

"After the massacre, I planned on returning the Cobalt name to its former glory by making a name for myself, and more importantly, be the sole inheritor of the Cobalt name, that is until you showed up."

"Me?" Remus asked in confusion.

"If you were any other Cobalt, I would've welcomed you with open arms. I would've asked you to join me, but you had to be the spawn of Rhea, you had to be the true successor to the Cobalt name."

"Is it really that important to you?"

"Yes, because it means no matter what I do, I'll always be subservient to you," Azura seemed to be bothered by this and Remus picked up on it, but he didn't understand how much this dilemma upset her. It wasn't until she made a demand that he wasn't expecting.

"Fight me now."

"Huh?" was his response.

Her declaration got the attention of Violet and Blood. They were ready to move in and take her down when the moment was right.

"You want to fight me? Why?" Remus asked, but his demeanor was more serious than a moment ago.

"Out there in the world is a true heir to the Cobalt name. I can't deny that now, not after meeting you. We both hold the name, but only one of us is the true successor. It's yours by birthright, but I want us to battle so I can prove I'm worthier of the title. You may have been born a Cobalt, but you've never learned our ways or traditions, so you don't know what it means to actually be one. That's why I want to settle this the best way we know how, in combat. You game?"

Remus smiled the usual smile he had when he was ready for a good fight. Azura looked at him with the exact same look, showing Violet that this was indeed a Cobalt thing. She and Blood wanted to intervene, but they figured this was a family matter.

Remus drew Romulus and Azura clenched her staff as the two stared each other down. The first one to make a move was Remus. He ran at her at high speeds that she lost sight of him but guessed where he was coming from. Lifting her staff to her right, Azura was able to parry Remus' double-bladed staff form. She was able to push him away and watch him land several feet away from her. Azura analyzed his first strike to dissect his fighting style the best she could, but Remus didn't let up as he ran around her again at high speeds again, forcing her to move while she mentally thought about him.

 _"_ _He's incredibly fast…his semblance must be something like Speed. It's good, but I should be able to keep up with him no problem,"_ Azura jumped in the air to avoid running into him and he quickly followed by jumping after her.

They battled in the air as they clashed weapons, but this time Remus was the one who knocked her away. He swung his blade against her staff, breaking her hold and knocking her into an empty building. She crashed into it from the roof but quickly got out by breaking through the front door. She was smiling to herself because this was a good battle and it only started a few seconds ago. Azura noticed how Remus was smiling too, showing his Cobalt heritage.

Before Remus could fall to the ground, he changed Romulus to its railgun form and fired a bolt of energy at her. The fast-moving bolt reached Azura location, but she twirled her staff around to block it and it worked, though the force and power of the projectile pushed her body back a couple of feet. She figured Remus' battle style is raw power, so she decided to change tactics. She waited to attach him once he reached the ground, but that changed when he suddenly vanished in a puff of blue smoke. Azura had no idea what just happened until she was kicked in the back of the head, knocking her away from Remus' new position. She was confused about this for a moment until realizing that her hypothesis was wrong.

 _"_ _This is his semblance, not Speed. He's just naturally fast…. Okay then, time for me to reveal my secrets too,"_

The tattoo on Azura's arms began to glow bright red as Remus ran toward her. He retracted one blade from his staff to change it to spear form and he jumped in the air. Remus lunged for her as her tattoos were suddenly set ablaze. Remus landed on Azura, but she blocked with her staff which was now cloaked in flames along with her hands. She knocked him away and sent a wave of flames at him that chipped away at his aura. He landed a good couple feet away and he looked at Azura as her weapon and arms were covered in fire. Remus was happy because she had a lot more to offer in this fight and he had a good reason not to hold back.

Violet and Blood were astonished that Azura had dust infused into her body. It was considered possible, but the process never became a legal practice. There were many adverse effects afflicted on the body when dust was added, most of them fatal. The only way for people bold enough to fuse their bodies with dust was through shady surgeries, and even then, the success rate for an operation was extremely low. Seeing that Azura only had dust infused into her arms and legs, Violet guessed she had a better chance of surviving. Either way, Violet deemed Azura a very dangerous person, a living weapon, and she was ready to intervene if things got out of hand.

Remus changed Romulus to the form he was best with, dual swords and he upped the ante by immediately activated the dust within so the energy could flow through the blade. He wanted to go all out against Azura and she felt the same way. The tattoos on Azura's legs were glowing brown and she lifted her foot the second Remus ran toward her. She slammed her foot down, stirring the earth dust to create a wave stone spikes in the ground that moved toward Remus, but he used his blades to easily slice through all the stone to keep his straightforward path. Azura's legs changed from brown to red along with her arms as the area around her was suddenly engulfed in flames. She surrounded herself with fire to keep Remus at bay as she cloaked her elemental staff with fire once more. Remus used Checkpoint to teleport on top of her and used it again to take them both to another place in the village where Remus immediately threw her into the wall of a building.

Using Checkpoint in succession like that left him feeling a little nauseated.

Azura quickly got up from the rubble. She saw him running toward her and brought her staff up to block his attack. They clashed and the elemental staff was chipped but it wasn't sliced through. Remus was stronger physically, but Azura had the bigger arsenal thanks to her dust tattoos, so she had more versatility. She changed the dust in her arms to yellow and lightning surged through not only her arms but her staff. A large amount of electricity ran through his blades and into his body as Remus felt the pan before he teleported away. Azura didn't let up as she ran toward his destination which was on the roof of a small house. She jumped high above him then threw her lightning charged staff right at him. It was moving incredibly fast but Remus dodged by teleporting to the ground. When the staff hit the house, it blew up like it was hit by a lightning bolt, showing the devastating power Azura held.

The repetitive teleportations were taking its toll on Remus and he did his best to keep himself together.

Remus saw that Azura was falling to the ground with no weapon, so he jumped on top of one house then jumped again to reach her before she could get to her staff. Azura saw him coming and altered the dust in her arms and legs to red. She released small, pressurized bursts of fire beneath her feet to keep herself airborne then fired a small fireball in his direction. He used both swords to cut through the fireball but the dispersed flames still damaged his aura. Azura could see his reaction time was getting faster, so she jetted straight down to close the gap between them while still firing fireballs to keep him occupied. He decided to jump and dodge his way around the flaming projectiles to preserve his aura. When she got close, Remus used Checkpoint to teleport away again and she didn't see where he went until she felt one of his swords cut her in the back. He quickly followed up with two more slashes before she used her fire to propel herself back to her staff. She quickly grabbed it then rocketed back to Remus.

Shifting the dust in her arms from fire to ice, she imbued her elemental staff with ice and transformed into a large frozen sickle. Remus dove down to meet his distant relative in a clash of ice and metal. Remus was able to break through the icy scythe and pass by Azura who quickly deactivated the ice in her arms then activated the fire dust in her ankles to create flames beneath her feet and used them as weapons. Increasing the amount of released fire, she was able to burn Remus' backside to deal considerable damage to his aura as well as knock him out of the sky. He quickly teleported to the ground so he wouldn't crash into it and lose anymore aura, but his aura levels were already low. He admitted to himself that Azura was amazing. He pretty much forgot what they were fighting about because he wanted this battle to go on forever.

He waited for Azura to land on the ground to continue the fight even though she wanted him dead. Azura was now using the ice dust in her arms to send a barrage of ice shards his way and he dodged each of them. She kept doing this only using one arm while she landed on the ground. She began to activate a large amount of lighting dust in her arms and legs when Remus was distracted by the remaining ice shards. Azura saw her moment then slammed her electric charged staff into the ground to release a massive amount of lightning that was released and spanning in every direction, destroying every building or object around her. Not sure about the range of this attack, Remus used Checkpoint to teleport far away from the area before it became nothing but scorched earth.

His aura reserves were reaching the end of its rope.

Violet and Blood were still near the statue, waiting for the battle to end until they heard the sound of thunder then the giant lightning blast that followed. The surrounding buildings fell and they wondered what was happening in the battle, but their questions may be answered with Remus teleporting to them, back to where the battle began. He sat down on the ground to catch his breath. His body was battered and he was drenched in sweat. They could see Remus was having a great time based on his smile.

"How's it going?" Violet asked curiously.

"Great! Azura's amazing!" he answered with vigor.

Violet was a little confused about how Remus could compliment someone who was trying to kill him, but she knows he's always honest about his feelings. He wore his emotions on his sleeve and she liked that about him. Blood watched the battle carefully because he wanted to see how it would end between two Cobalts. All three of them noticed Azura making her way to their location. The dust in her ankles shined white and ice was forming beneath her feet, freezing the ground around her.

"Remus, don't forget why Azura wanted to fight you. It may seem trivial, but the cost of the battle means a lot to her and to you too," Blood informed Remus before could leave.

Remus got up and dusted his clothes off before saying, "…I'll be back. This is getting good…. And I haven't forgotten Blood. I actually made my mind about. I'll tell you when this is over."

Remus ran toward her though she created frozen spikes all around her to slow him down. He didn't stop as he came to one of the ice spikes and stopped on a dime right in front of it. He changed the direction he was facing then ran again in a different direction until he jumped onto the frozen floor. He couldn't control where he was going, so he moved from one ice spike to the next till he was close enough to Azura. He tried to cut her down with one of his swords, but she blocked it with her elemental staff. She charged her arms with lightning dust, sending it through her staff to Remus' body. It surged through his body and knocked him away from Azura as he landed on the ice. Azura immediately reacted by using fire dust with her staff to hurl waves of flames at Remus, but they were smaller and moving slower than she wanted. She knew this meant she was getting tired.

Remus knew he was reaching the end of his stamina and decided to end this battle now. He used Checkpoint to teleport out of the icy area and avoid getting hit by the fireballs. He only stood a few feet away from his original destination and the only thing he did was change Romulus to its railgun form. Azura tried to end this by throwing her lightning infused elemental staff at him, but Remus teleported right next to her and kicked her in the side. Before she could retaliate, he teleported again to attack her in her blindside then repeated the process. Remus used Checkpoint consecutively to attack Azura from every direction nonstop which resulted in a thick, blue fog covering Azura and Remus as he continued his assault. This left him very sick in his stomach like it always does, but it also left Azura defenseless against the blitz while his railgun charged. Remus teleported a total of five times then kicked her into the icy floor one before teleporting for the final time with his railgun pointed at her point-blank. He fired a powerful bolt of energy, dispersing the blue smokescreen, blasted her and sent Azura flying toward Violet and Blood's location where she crashed into the statue of Rhea Cobalt. Azura's aura broke and she couldn't fight anymore, frustrating her greatly as she laid on the floor along with the destroyed remains of Rhea's statue. The recoil of the railgun pushed Remus back considerably. He landed in the ice and his aura dropped to zero. He had no more protection.

"Dammit!" Azura shouted as she slammed her fist against the ground.

Violet and Blood observed her for any shady movements, but she seemed to be too upset with her defeat to do anything. Remus walked over to Azura, but he was stumbling a lot before he fell to his knees in front of her. A mixture of exhaustion and nausea from his last attack resulted in his poor state. He was trying his hardest not to hurl on the spot. He couldn't stand up out of fear he would pass out, so he sat on the ground in front of her. She glared at him, but Remus wasn't bothered by it. The battle was over and Remus didn't feel like fighting anymore, the impulse has left him.

"I win," he stated winded. Azura silently looked at him with the same intense glare, but she didn't seem to be trying anything.

"... Azura. You wanted us to fight for the claim of being Cobalt's successor, and I won. I am a true Cobalt and I wasn't entirely sure what that means, but I get what it means to you, and what Blood meant about legacy. Our family was great, but we're the last of them and what happens to them lies with us. Meaning the Cobalt name is ours to make it whatever we want. You're proud of our family, but you're stuck in the past of what it used to be."

"…." Azura remained silent as he talked.

Remus looked at Blood for a moment then back to Azura saying, "My mom wasn't destroying our legacy by teaching faunus our ways. She was trying to expand it so it could grow and thrive, something that couldn't be done if they kept to themselves. She was thinking of the future, and that's what I'm going to do. It's a little late for me to do anything about our family, but after today, I'll honor the legacy by doing what my mother wanted for all of us. To live for a better future while honoring the past. I'll remember where I came from while I focus on where I'm going."

Remus smiled to himself now that he said his answer out loud. He felt a lot better after all the worrying he was dealing with yesterday, finally feeling like himself again while also carrying some pride for being a Cobalt.

"Happy to hear you finally understand what I meant. Good job Remus. I can't speak for your mother, I'm sure she'd be proud," Blood said as he approached him with Violet. She eyed Azura who looked at them all, mostly Remus, with disdain.

"What about her?" Violet asked as Remus looked at his last remaining relative with concern.

Azura spoke before Remus could. "Don't think because you beat me and said some pretty words mean we're friends. After all this time thinking I was the last Cobalt, and you, showing up and taking the title of the successor from me…"

"Azura, neither of us are the last Cobalt. We're _both_ here," Remus said to get her attention. "I know you don't like me and I doubt that'll change anytime soon, but I want you to know that I actually like you. Not just as a relative, but also as a fighter." Remus' true colors were showing. He always liked people who could give him a good fight and it surprised Azura how genuine he was being with his feelings.

"If we do meet up again, I hope we can battle with no real stakes involved," Remus said as Blood helped him to his feet.

The two turned around and walked away, but Azura was pretty upset with how things turned out. She also didn't like how Remus spoke to her, thinking he was belittling her with his speech. Using the little energy she could muster, Azura conjured a fireball from the dust in her arms and was prepared to hurl it at them both, but Violet stepped in and kicked her across her face with her boot. Blood and Remus turned around, only to see Violet walking toward them with an unconscious Azura laying on the ground.

"What was that?" Blood asked.

Violet responded with, "Don't worry about it. Let's head home."

 **Setting: Desert**

The three of them were back in Fantasia, making their way back home. Violet was driving so Blood was in the passenger seat with Remus in the back. The young Cobalt looked to his faunus friend with guilt and did something unexpected. He hugged Blood from behind and stayed in an embrace. Blood was completely thrown off by his actions and Violet stared at the awkward instead of looking in front of her.

"…Um, Remus, what are you doing?" Blood asked as he looked down at the arms wrapped around his body and seat.

"Comforting you. Violet told me friends do this when one of them is emotionally troubled," Remus answered.

Blood looked Violet's way since she seemed to be the cause of this. She feigned ignorance by looking straight in front of her, pretending to focus solely on her driving. Blood stared down at the girl who was looking at the nonexistent road, but she wasn't budging, so he talked to Remus instead.

"Remus, I'm not emotionally troubled…at all… _please_ let go of me."

Remus complied and he released Blood from his hold. It was silent for a brief moment before Remus spoke to his friend again.

"Hey Blood."

"Yeah?"

"Sorry, Azura said those things about faunus. And the words she used were awful. I didn't know people didn't like you guys. I feel like an idiot for not knowing." Remus felt bad for being blind to the prejudice many faunus face every day, but Blood didn't seem perturbed by his apology.

"Don't worry about it. I'm over it. Nothing I haven't heard before. Besides, we faunus don't take that stuff lying down," Blood answered and Violet was curious.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"We have a word we use when talking about humans we really don't like. Think of it as our inside joke."

"What do you call us?" Remus asked and got his answer.

"Shisnos."

"What does that mean?" Remus asked, but Blood snickered a little before answering with four words.

"Don't worry about it."

 **Setting: VRSZ Base**

The three of them finally returned to Fortuna and they parted ways once they drove to Vantablack. Violet and Remus returned home and parked the Fantasia in the garage before entering their base. They didn't see Silver around, so they guessed he was out for the day. After three days of traveling, Violet decided on the best thing for the two of them to do. She brought Remus into the kitchen to sit while she got them some ice cream for them to enjoy. She felt he earned it after learning so much on their little field trip. The two enjoyed this moment for a while until Violet got a text on her scroll from Cerise. She read the text and made a confused face.

"What is it?" Remus asked after eating a spoonful of vanilla ice cream.

"Cerise sent me a strange text. She said there was an attack at the training academy today and Silver stopped the person responsible. As thanks, Ahahaha, get this. The staff at the academy named Silver an honorary graduate of their academy.

"Really? They can do that?" Remus asked with humor in his voice.

"Apparently they can. And Cerise and the others aren't happy about it. They still have a year and a half until they graduate. Wow, Cerise sent a lot of unhappy emojis. She's definitely not happy," Violet said as she and Remus got a group text from their black and silver-haired friend.

 _"_ _Dr. Synch is making a house call!"_

"He knows the degree doesn't mean he's a doctor, right?" Remus asked.

Violet rolled her eyes and sighed because it meant she had to deal with something worse than any bounty hunter or Grimm. She had to put up with Silver's inflated ego.

* * *

 **The term Shisno is a reference to Red vs Blue. It's an alien word used to describe humans and it's considered offensive. I thought it would be good to bring it back for the faunus to use.**

 **Azura's dust infused body was inspired by Jin, an original character from another RWBY fanfiction called JPLL by ArchSinccubus. However, Jin has dust all over her body while Azura just has dust circles around each of her limbs.**

 **I always wanted to make another Cobalt character to act as an antagonist for the freelancers, specifically Remus, but Azura was originally going to be male, but I changed her to female to be a direct opposite of Remus not just in ideology and personality. Another thing makes her different from Remus is her dust abilities compared to his Checkpoint. Azura's dust can be used even after her aura is depleted because it's a part of her body and works like muscles. Azura's body can't run out of dust, but they can tire out like muscles if she overuses them and she won't be able to use her dust for a time.**

 **Her weapon is an elemental staff she has to work with her dust. It's similar to Zelts' Conversion except she uses the dust that is flowing through it instead of converting it to raw power. Azura's ability with dust is only limited by her imagination and her weapon only adds to her versatile arsenal.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Downtime**

 **Setting: Grayson's Desert Hideout**

"GAAAHHH!" Bruno was sent flying across the desert before landing into the sand where his aura broke through.

The middle-aged man got up with a frustrated expression. He looked up to see Alexandrite standing before him with a bored expression while Grayson was laughing at his flounder. Grayson watched on the sidelines and enjoyed watching Alexandrite demonstrate her abilities against Bruno.

"AHAHAHA! Damn! She got you good Bruno. You gonna take that lying down?" Grayson taunted as Bruno got up.

The man grew angry at the fact that a young girl was besting him so easily. After years of training and experience, she made Bruno feel so inadequate with her raw talent. It also made him realize that Grayson might let him go if Alexandrite could replace him, so the muscular man ran toward her with a giant greatsword that was larger than him.

He ran up to Alexandrite, who didn't even lift her massive lance to defend herself. Instead, when Bruno swung his massive blade at her, she just lifted her right arm and punched the greatsword, breaking the blade in two. Bruno was shocked at her power, but noticed her fist was coated in some kind of crystal. He didn't have time to think about it because Alexandrite brought her crystalline fist to his head and slugged him in the jaw, sending him flying while also breaking his jaw and leaving his face bloody.

Grayson clapped to applaud Alexandrite for a job well done while completely ignoring the painful groans of Bruno. The man clutched his mouth in agony. Even Alexandrite didn't seem that concerned about him, but glanced at him from time to time when Grayson was talking about how impressed he was with her. It wasn't stuff she hasn't heard before.

"You are definitely going places with that power. You're strong, your weapon is cool, your semblance is…I don't know what it is yet, but it's still awesome, and you're hot! It's the perfect combination!" Grayson said.

Alexandrite eyes changed from purplish-red to green as she looked at Bruno one last time. "Thanks, but what about him?" she pointed to Bruno who was pressed his hand to his mouth to stop the bleeding, but it wasn't helping.

"Forget about him. You're his replacement. Hold on," Grayson turned to face a pain writhing Bruno and shouted, "Hey Bruno, you're fired, buttface!"

Bruno was in too much pain to respond, so Grayson took his groaning as acceptance.

"You really are the lowest of the low, aren't you?" Alexandrite said, but it didn't bother him at all.

"Pretty much, but you know what's best about being the lowest? You can only go up," Grayson said with a grin. His scroll went off after his remark and he answered it.

"Yeah, uh-huh. Really? Haha, sure. I'll be there by the end of the day. Okay, see you there." Grayson closed his scroll.

"Was that important?" Alexandrite asked.

"Yeah, a potential comrade wants to meet with me. Coming?" he asked with a grin.

Alexandrite looked at a defeated Bruno before saying, "Sure, I got nothing better to do."

Grayson and Alexandrite got on his dust-powered motorcycle and drove off to who knows where while Bruno laid in the sand.

 **Setting: Ceres**

In the residential area of Fortuna, the members of Team CLSH were in Loden's home, also known as the team's base of operations, where they were doing one of the hardest tasks they have to do, study. Cerise and Loden were struggling with understanding their studies about weapon trajectory and geometry, so they called the smartest person they knew to help.

"And this is the proper angle to throw your Runaways, Cerise…Cerise? Are you paying attention Cerise?" Remus asked her as he tutored the two young girls who looked like their brains were going to short circuit.

Cerise clutched her head and rubbed her short, pinkish red hair in frustration. "I'm trying Remus, I really am, but throwing my cherry bombs and writing about the correct way to throw them are completely different things. Like apples and oranges."

"…I don't understand how fruit plays a role with your weapons," Remus said and it made the two girls laugh, helping them relieve some tension.

"It's a metaphor Remus. Don't think too much about it," Loden said as she smiled at their tutor's obliviousness.

"Can we take a break? We've been at this for two hours," Cerise pleaded and Remus complied.

Cerise sat on the couch in the living room, rubbing the temple of her head with two fingers. Loden was getting herself something to drink and Remus continued to look over their work to see how well they've done. He concluded they were getting better, even if their progress was a little slow.

"Did Sapphire no longer require help in studying? I find that highly doubtful after the last time I helped her," Remus said to the mentally exhausted girls.

The two girls looked at each other before Loden looked to Remus with an answer. "She's skipping with Ghost. She's never been one for taking studies seriously. Hanging out with Ghost is more of her excuse. And like always, we'll give her a cheat sheet for exams."

"That explains Sapphire, but where's Hazel? Though I know she doesn't need any help with this, but I haven't seen her around," Remus said with a curious look.

"She's actually volunteered to go on a mission with Silver- I mean, Dr. Synch," Cerise answered, though she seemed a little irritated when she mentioned Silver's name.

Remus guessed it was because his trigger-happy friend technically graduated from her academy as a sign of thanks and she was still upset that he got it in less than a day while she had to wait at least another year. He figured it was probably best for Silver if he stayed away from Cerise for a while unless he wanted a Runaway exploding in his face.

"Alright, let's continue with your study sessions," Remus said as he got off the couch and stood to his feet. "There's still a handful of work you two must complete."

Cerise and Loden groaned simultaneously. They both admired and respected Remus, just like the other members of VRSZ, but 'Study-Remus' was a bit much to deal with.

 **Setting: Bazaar**

Just as Loden told Remus, Hazel was with her favorite freelancer on a mission, but they weren't alone. Leading the team was Bianca, who enlisted Silver to help her in this endeavor. She informed Hazel and Silver that some bandits took control of a building and Clair wanted her to flush them out. Bianca hired Silver as a freelancer to help with this as a safety precaution and Hazel tagged along by pure luck, but she accepted the help. Hazel asked if she was being paid, but Silver told her since she's just a student, this is more of an unpaid internship. Bianca quickly smacked him upside his head and told Hazel she would happily pay her for her services. Actually, Silver didn't even know if he was getting paid. He thought it would be awkward for his girlfriend to pay him money for helping her, so he'd have to wait and see what Bianca would do once this was all over.

The trio chased down the bandits through the Bazaar. By Bianca's count, there were seven of them, but they were obviously cowards who were only good at stealing. Bianca ran after them on the ground, Silver followed behind using Gravity to jump of the sides of buildings for a bird's eye view, and Hazel was behind both of them, activating her Hive drones and commanding them to follow the bandits, giving her view of what they were doing. Using the built-in cameras inside her bee-shaped drones, Hazel was able to see what they were doing and where they were going. All three of them converged at the three-story building the bandits were using as a hiding spot. All of the bandits were inside with guns and knives in their hands, ready to hold their ground. Unfortunately for them, Bianca and Silver were quick to draw their guns and with incredible accuracy, they disarmed the five men who had guns then did the same for the two with knives.

"I got four," Bianca answered with a triumphant smile.

"Three," Silver groaned, knowing he lost their little game.

Hazel used her drones to fly around the building to survey and guard any back-doors or escape routes so none of them could run away. "There doesn't seem to be anyway for them to get out besides the front door and some windows. How do you want to do this?" Hazel asked Bianca.

"We can shoot them out like fish in a barrel. Make this entertaining," Silver suggested as a fun game, but Bianca was scanning the area and decided on her on course of action.

"I'll get them out. You guys just have to distract for me. Can you do that?" Bianca asked.

"Yes ma'am," Hazel answered as she pressed some buttons on her computer arm guards. Her drones returned to her side with their stinging lasers aimed at the windows.

Silver eyed the area for any suspicious behavior while Bianca ran toward the building. She was able to climb through a window on the ground floor, something that was unbeknownst to the thugs hiding on the third floor. Silver was thinking of something that could act as a good distraction then realized he just needed their attention focused on him and he found a way to do it.

Silver open fired on the bandits, hitting the building and breaking the glass windows to gain their attention and scare them at the same time. Hazel understood what he was doing and commanded her drones fire random laser shots as well. Their tactic proved effective as the bandits were screaming in confusion from the onslaught until one of them called out to Silver.

"H- Hey! HEY!" one of them shouted.

Miraculously, Silver and Hazel heard his plea and stopped firing.

"What?!" Silver shouted back.

The bandits in the building were mumbling to each other about what to say next. Meanwhile, Bianca was downstairs, activating her semblance Stardust. Her hair shined and shimmered then those shiny particles dispersed throughout the area. After a few more moments of debating among themselves, the supposed leader of the bandits walked as close as he dared to the window and said, "We are giving you the chance to surrender."

"What? Surrender? Why would we surrender?" Silver questioned.

"...We clearly have you outnumbered and outgunned."

"Bullshit! We're winning! You guys are the ones hiding in your crib!" Silver countered.

Hazel couldn't believe this was working and she really couldn't believe Silver was actually getting into this conversation.

"That's what you think, but maybe we have a secret weapon stashed here and looking for it as we-"

"Hazel, fire a warning shot for me," Silver said while the bandit was still talking.

Hazel issued one of her drones to fire a laser at the building where the bandits were, piercing through the stone and the wall inside the building which effectively scared the men. Silver figured they would start moving around unless he scared them enough to keep them in their place.

"OH CRAP! OH GOD!" one of the bandits shouted.

Silver needed to keep them occupied, so he played by their rules, even though it didn't sit well with him. "Alright, alright. We surrender," he told the bandits.

"…. Really?" one of them asked. None of them really expected Silver to fall for their last-ditch effort to survive. Silver himself groaned while ruffling his silver hair. It wounded his pride, but Bianca needed the time.

"Yeah, so what do you want?" he shouted. Hazel was giggling to herself about the predicament and it rubbed Silver the wrong way.

Bianca was scattering Stardust everywhere as it dispersed not only from her hair, but from her entire body, something she hasn't done before, showing she was getting better at controlling her semblance. Silver just needed to buy her a little more time.

"Um… how about you drop your weapons," the supposed bandit leader ordered, though it sounded more like a plea than a request.

Silver grunted, but agreed to his demand. He placed Fenrir on the ground and raised his hands to show he wasn't armed.

"Is that everything?"

Silver nodded, but realized he forgotten one more weapon he carried around. He reached into his pocket to pull out sand and poured it on the ground. Hazel was dumbfounded by this and had to ask, "Why do you have sand in your pockets?'

"Do you realize how effective it is to throw sand in people's eyes? Trust me, that move has saved my life more times than I can count," Silver answered.

Just as the bandits were conversing among themselves about what they could extort from Silver, one of them noticed shining sparkles flying around. He stopped to look at what it was until he noticed there were more scattered around the room. It didn't take long for all of them to look at the particles or for Bianca to exit the building through the front door. She casually walked back to Silver and Hazel and held her gloved finger up in a snapping position.

"What will it be? Silver?" Bianca asked as the dust in her glove began to glow.

"Fire. I really want these bastards to blow up," Silver answered with vigor. He really wanted to blow those guy sky high.

"But not so much that they really get hurt…please," Hazel requested. She didn't feel like the bandits needed to be severely punished.

Bianca sympathized with the young girl and decided to keep the flames to a minimum. Her glove shined red from the fire dust woven in it and she snapped her fingers. The shining particles spontaneously combusted, filling the building in explosive flames. The windows broke with some of the bandits falling through them and landing hard on the ground. Bianca guessed the rest were inside unconscious, mostly likely burned along with all their body hair, but unconscious nonetheless.

"Thanks for the distraction. I can take care of the rest," Bianca said to Silver and Hazel.

"I'll help you take these guys out the town. Seven on your own would take forever," Silver offered. Bianca didn't see any reason to deny him especially because his semblance can help him lift people like they were feathers.

Before the two of them moved out, Bianca reached into her pocket and pulled out some Lien. Silver had his hand out to accept the money, but Bianca passed him and gave it to Hazel. "This is for helping us out Hazel. I appreciate it."

"Are you sure?" Hazel asked, a little reluctant to take the money. She was reaffirmed by Bianca's nod and smile. While Hazel left to return home, Silver and Bianca dragged the bandits to the outskirts of Fortuna.

 **Setting: VRSZ Base**

Unlike Remus and Silver, Violet was at home doing things on her own. She was checking through the list of job offers from potential clients. Some she accepted, others she rejected, and some she mulled over. She never received full details about what they wanted since brief overviews were given on her phone and clients explain everything at meetings, where the team could decide whether to accept the job or not. After she finished that work, Violet contemplated what to do next.

She played with her scroll, wondering if she should call or text Zelts to see how he was doing. Violet wanted to call and say hi, but she was a hesitant to follow through with it. He's still residing in Patch with Lily for much needed quality time and it's been a week since Violet has seen him. She wanted to say something, but had no idea if she would be intruding or interrupting a moment between the couple. Violet actually thought about this for an hour before giving up, choosing to pick out one of her comic books to read.

For once it was quiet in their base and she figured it was because her two numbskulls weren't around. Violet realized that Remus and Silver were pretty unpredictable without Zelts here to help her keep the peace. They were like children who looked for trouble without a parent around to chaperon. It made things a little difficult for Violet, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle on her own. It didn't bother her one bit, but there was something that did interest her, Grayson. She and her team ran into him a few times on missions, but during the confrontations, he seemed to be phoning it in. He hardly gave it any effort which was so unlike him and Violet knew that. She hated how well she knew him because he was one of the two people she hated most in the world. The only time she ever liked thinking about him was when she was thinking about different ways she could brutally harm him.

In fact, Violet stopped reading her comic book to think about how to hurt him right now. She did so with an twisted smile on her face.

 **Setting: Vacuo Settlement**

Grayson and Alexandrite entered a very small town for their meeting with Grayson's potential partner. Not much was happening as they waited until Grayson felt a chill run through his spine. In fact, he felt this at the same time Violet was thinking heinous thought about him.

"Ugh," Grayson groaned as his shiver ended.

"What's wrong with you?" Alexandrite asked.

"Just felt cold for a minute."

"Cold? In the desert?" Alexandrite questioned.

"It happens. Just forget about it. Let's just find our partner."

Grayson and Alexandrite walked through the small area, passing by the citizens as he searched for the person he was looking for.

"Do you even know who we're looking for?" Alexandrite asked impatiently.

"I don't know her face, but she told me her name; Azura. She dodged my invitations before, but she's coming to me this time. I'm not letting this opportunity slip by. She'll be a valuable asset, Al."

"Don't call me Al unless you want to lose a lung," Alexandrite threatened.

The two of them entered a small building that seemed to be a bar. The majority of the people of this town were located here and most of them were bandits and bounty hunters looking to make money doing whatever job was necessary. Grayson and Alexandrite felt right at home, but it wasn't peaceful. People were being thrown out and tossed around the building with one person standing before all of them. The person standing above all others was the person Grayson was looking for; Azura.

He casually approached her, but Azura thought he was another guy trying put the moves on her, so she was ready to kick his ass. Azura moved in, but Alexandrite put her massive spear between the two. The two female fighters glared at each other while Alexandrite held a smirked that said, "Try it, see what happens."

"Now, now Alexandrite. We can't hurt our friend," Grayson said as he lowered her spear. "Azura, I'm Grayson. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"So, you're Grayson?" Azura examined him and Alexandrite before saying, "Alright, have a seat."

Azura led them to a table occupied by some scary looking huntsmen, but they immediately got up and gave their seats to the trio. They sat down, with Grayson and Alexandrite sitting on one side while Azura sat on the other. She looked at him then glanced at Alexandrite before gaining a small scowl on her face. Azura could already tell she wasn't going to like her.

"I gotta say, I'm actually surprised you wanted to join me after all the times you declined," Grayson said to get the conversation started.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Whether I join or not is still up in the air. I just came to see what you had to offer, plus I needed a change in scenery."

"Oh, something happened at home?" Grayson asked.

"…Something like that. I ran into someone I never thought I would see again and… the meeting wasn't ideal. Let's just say I have a bone to pick with a family member," Azura dug one of her fingernails into the wooden table, leaving a bigger mark with each stroke.

"Eh, other people's family problems don't really concern me. Actually, my own family problems don't even concern me. I don't even know them, but I'm digressing. Whatever problems you had can't be part of this. If you're distracted, then you're a liability," Grayson said, leaning back in his seat with his arms folded.

Azura saw no reason to stay since he said that. To her, dealing with the other Cobalt was more important than working as a mercenary with Grayson. "Then I'm gone. No one is going to stop me from taking down Remus," Azura said as she got to leave.

Grayson's eyes widened in surprise when he heard her say that familiar name. "Wait a minute! Remus. You know Remus?"

"Yeah, he's a Cobalt like me and it's my job to-"

"Say no more!" Grayson said with a grin. "I know exactly who you're talking about. Remus Cobalt, a freelancer working with Violet Tulipe, a girl that's been a real thorn in my side."

"Do you really know them?" Azura asked as she walked back to the table now that she was intrigued. "Do you know Remus!" she slammed her hands onto the table.

Grayson sneered now that he had her full attention.

"Of course, I run into the freelancers more often than most, but I haven't been able to take them all on my own. That's why I'm trying to find partners and allies to help me on missions and make things a little more equal. You and Alexandrite are the perfect example. Join the team, and you'll definitely see Remus again."

"Alright, I'm in," Azura said with zero hesitation.

Grayson was pleased, but Alexandrite was unimpressed by the other girl's drive.

"You sure you want someone like her with us?" Alexandrite asked Grayson in front of Azura's face. "She looks weak."

Azura glared at her then walked over to her. Alexandrite got up from her seat to show she easily towered over the newcomer, but Azura wasn't intimidated in the slightest. She gripped her elemental staff as fire from the dust in her arms were starting to burn.

"You want to go toe to toe with me, giant?" Azura challenged.

"Anytime, Baby-blue," Alexandrite teased with her massive spear in her hand.

A fight was about to ensue and it would've been a spectacular one that destroyed the entire settlement, if Grayson didn't come between them. "Break it up you two." He pushed each on away from the other, to be more accurate, he pushed Azura a couple steps away while Alexandrite didn't budge an inch. It took them awhile, but both girls finally loosened their hold on their weapons.

Seeing that the tension finally died, Grayson pulled Azura closer till all three of them were in arms distance from each other. Alexandrite grunted while Azura glared her down until Grayson shouted, "Kiss and make up you two! Starting today, the three of us are a team."

* * *

 **Alexandrite's semblance allows her to create layers of crystals around her body. She uses this to make crystal armor to increase both her defensive and offensive capabilities. The crystals can be removed from her body, but they disintegrate after a while. The color of the crystals will change depending on Alexandrite's eye color which changes randomly.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Some Assembly Required**

 **Setting: Desert**

In the middle of the desert, Grayson and Alexandrite were slowly riding back to their hideout on his dust-cycle with their new member, Azura, tagging along behind them. Grayson was proud knowing he was able to get these two to work with him for however long he needed them or whenever they decided to ditch him. He knew from the beginning this team would never be built on trust or shared ideals like many huntsmen teams, rather it was built on selfish reasons. Grayson wants to compete against Violet and her freelancers, Azura simply hates Remus and is using this team to increase her chances of finding him, and Alexandrite's reason for joining are a complete unknown to Grayson. She simply joined because he asked her. The only thing he knows is that she wanted to leave Virago, but he didn't care now that she was working with him.

The three silently traversed back to Grayson's hideout so they could decide what to do next, but something unexpected was there. Waiting for them at his base was a large group of people.

"What the hell is this?" Grayson asked himself. His question was answered when he noticed Bruno leading the crowd of about two dozen outlaws. Grayson had a good guess about why Bruno was here based on his disfigured face from his bout with Alexandrite.

Bruno noticed Grayson and Alexandrite's arrival and glared at them with eyes of rage. Alexandrite saw this and smirked at the prospect of battle. Azura finally caught a glimpse of the crowd and she had a disgruntled expression on her face.

"What's this? Some kind of welcome party?" she asked rhetorically.

Alexandrite grabbed her spear, ready for a battle and Grayson knew this was unavoidable. He figured this was all his fault and should feel some regret, but he didn't. Instead, he thought this was the perfect chance to see what his new team was capable of.

"Alexandrite. Azura. Time to see if we can work as a team. Ready to kick some ass?" Grayson asked with a smirk on his face.

"Born ready," Azura said. She already had her elemental staff in her hand as she eyed all her foes to see where she would start.

"Let's get started already!" Alexandrite shouted. She had a gleam in her ruby red eyes, showing she was ready for a brawl.

As Bruno commanded his league of bandits to attack Grayson and his group of vagabonds, Alexandrite ran right toward them. Kicking up piles of sand as she made her way to the bandits, Alexandrite grew red crystal over her body, creating armor all over her body. Some of the bandits fired the guns and other long ranged attacks at her, but her crystal armor protected her body. She effortlessly tackled through most of the bandits, making it easier for Grayson and Azura to enter the fray. A bandit with a mace ran up to the female warrior and slammed his weapon against her head, but he was only able to shatter the crystal while Alexandrite remained unharmed. She looked at him with a scary expression before swinging her spear at him with enough force to knock him far away from the battle. She immediately slammed the large blades on her spear into the ground, creating a strong shockwave that pushed away any other combatants before she moved in to fight someone else.

Azura activated the ice dust in her legs to freeze the sand beneath her feet with every step. She gracefully walked through the ranks of the bandits to freeze the ground below their feet, causing them to slip and fall. She continued this process till she got half of the bandits there then skied around them while beating them with her staff and creating large ice spikes that launched any nearby bandits when they erected from the ground. She watched Alexandrite fight as she was moving through the battlefield and concluded the woman had an extremely aggressive fighting style and showed no mercy to her opponents, but Azura could admit Alexandrite's primal finesse was top notch.

Grayson was in the fight too, but held back to see how his new prospects were fairing and he was pleased with the results. He threw his broad sword into an ice spike and used the cable along with the icy surface to slide around the area. He used his free hand to pull out the taser blade of his late partner Adrik. As he swung around one of the ice spikes, Grayson struck any unfortunate foe that was in his attack range with the taser blade, electrocuting them with each slash. He swung around the area, randomly attacking everyone around him before releasing his blade and sliding straight into the person of interest; Bruno.

The injured man's face was more grotesque up-close and Grayson didn't hide his disgust when he reached Bruno. He flinched when he got a good look at Bruno's face. "Oh god! Put a mask on man! No one wants to see that!" Grayson shouted while covering his mouth, pretending he would hurl.

Bruno had nothing to say to him. He already made up his mind to kill Grayson and his cohorts, but the dream may remain a fantasy. Alexandrite and Azura were taking care of his group of bandits while only taking little damage. It was clearly the end for him, but he wanted the pleasure of at least killing Grayson. Bruno still had his greatsword, even though Alexandrite broke off most of the blade. He charged to Grayson then took several swings at him, but Grayson dodged all of them. With the blade half its size, the sword didn't have much weight to it which made it easier for Bruno to swing at faster pace than usual, but Grayson was able to maneuver away from all of them. Bruno tried to cleave Grayson's head with an overhead slash, but Grayson played defense by pulling on the cable attached between his broadsword and arm. The cable came between them and stopped the greatsword from reaching his head. Bruno was surprised at first, but realized that with the blade broken in half, the sword didn't have the attack power it used to. Grayson quickly capitalized this moment using the taser blade to jab Bruno in the gut while electrocuting him at the same time. The pain caused Bruno to lift his blade, giving Grayson the opportunity to slash and strike him with his broadsword.

Alexandrite swung her spear at a bandit, slashing him with one of the massive blades on the side of the spearhead. Azura finished the last one by beating him with her frozen staff. Neither of them realized they were standing back to back until their backsides bumped each other. Both of them quickly turned around to fight, but stopped when they realized it was just the other. Alexandrite scanned Azura's battlefield and Azura did the same with Alexandrite's. Locking eyes for a brief moment, the two female warriors actually acknowledged the other in terms of combat. Both of them doubted their relationship would get any better, but respected each other as fighters. Now they had to see if Grayson was worth working with and he seemed to prove himself in his one-sided battle with Bruno.

The disfigured man slammed his blade into the ground after missing another strike on Grayson who jumped in the air and kicked him in the face twice, pushing Bruno back a couple feet. Grayson quickly landed in the sand the dashed toward Bruno and slashed him with both his broadsword and taser blade, paralyzing him and wearing down his aura. His merciless attack didn't stop there when he lunged to be right in front of Bruno and slammed the hilts of both swords against his head, causing serious head injury that made Bruno writhe in pain and broke through what was left of his aura. The match ended in Grayson's victory, but this wasn't a match, it was a battle. With his broadsword, Grayson sliced Bruno from his shoulder down to his abdomen, cutting him open and causing him to bleed out. Bruno fell to his knees, holding the gash in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but it was a futile effort.

"Alright, now to make sure you guys didn't take anything," Grayson said as he left Bruno to check the condition of his hideout.

Bruno was going in and out of consciousness. He knew he wasn't going to make it, but he didn't want to show weakness in front of the enemy, even in his last moments. The two girls walked up to look at Bruno to see Grayson's handiwork. Azura concluded he was good in a fight and it was better for her to stick around for now. Bruno looked up to see Alexandrite standing above him with a condescending expression that furled him with anger. That's what Bruno was thinking, but in reality, Alexandrite was wondering who he was. She completely forgot him from their previous fight which was less than twenty-four hours from this moment, showing she was so bored with fighting him that he didn't register in her mind at all.

"Son of a bitch!" Grayson shouted from inside his base, gaining the attention of his allies.

"I've been looted! Raided! Ransacked! Plundered!" Grayson marched back to a dying Bruno with an upset face.

"You have your friends steal all my stuff?! What the hell did I ever do to you?!" he said to Bruno who he just cut down.

Bruno didn't answer, more like he never got the chance to answer because he died on the spot. His body laid in the sand motionless. Grayson groaned in frustration because he would never get his answer. "I can't catch a break."

He was upset, but it didn't stop Grayson from searching Bruno's corpse for anything valuable. Alexandrite and Azura found this act to be quite deplorable, even for Grayson.

"You just killed this guy and you're stealing off his dead body. What is wrong with your brain?" Azura asked with her hands on her hips.

"Hey. He and his friends took everything in that base. And I had a lot of cool stuff in there." Grayson searched Bruno's person, but didn't find anything of value. "Of course, he has nothing I can sell, not to mention this place is compromised so we have to go to one of my other bases."

"So, we go to one of the other bases?" Alexandrite asked. Her changed to purple.

"Yeah. There's one that's not too far from here. Let me just do something first," Grayson answered before walking to raided base.

He pulled out several of his fire dust bombs and set them all of inside his base. As he walked away, his stone fortress exploded with great force. The explosion was incredibly loud and the smoke that rose from it reached high into the sky. Luckily for them, Grayson chose a deserted area so no one could hear the explosion or see the tower of smoke.

Grayson walked to his dust-cycle and asked, "Ready?"

He got his answer when they followed him across the desert, leaving the bandits unconscious and Bruno's dead body for the buzzards. The three of them trekked through the sand to parts unknown to find their new base of operations. Each with different goals and ideals in mind with the only thing keeping them together was the acknowledgement of each other's strength.

 **Setting: Outside Fortuna**

Grimm were outside the city-town ready to enter and cause all sorts of trouble for the people. There were Deathstalkers, Creeps, and Nevermores making their way to Fortuna, but three people stood in their way. The members of Team VRSZ were on the payroll today. Sterling hired them to eliminate the Grimm because Clair and her workers were busy with other matters to lend a helping hand. The freelancers battled for money and to protect the place they call home.

Violet focused on close combat in this fight to help her practice fighting with her kukris. She easily cut down the Creepers with her knives. The lesser Grimm were helpless against her as she stabbed and cut through them. With the fire dust in her kukris, she heated the blades so she could slice through the Creepers' bodies like butter then sent a wave of fire at those from a distance, burning them on the spot. Violet changed tactics by using the ice dust to cloak her blades in ice to transform them to jagged, frozen swords. She cut down the majority of the Creepers before changing targets to a nearby Deathstalker. She jumped in the air to slam both her frozen swords into the monster's hide, but the creature used its pinchers to guard against her attack. It was going to stab her with its stinger while she was defenseless, but Violet quickly activated Invisibility to vanish from the Grimm's sight. Confused about her whereabouts, the Deathstalker was left wide open for Silver to jump in and attack. He quickly used his dual guns to fire several shots to take out its multiple eyes, leaving it completely blind. The Grimm started rampaging around until Violet, while still invisible, used her kukris to cut off its legs on the left side so it would stop moving. The imbalance made it fall over, exposing its underbelly, giving Violet to moment to slice its throat, killing it for good.

Another Deathstalker approached Violet, but she was unfazed. Silver jumped above the creature then used Gravity to increase his mass and plummet right on top of the large Grimm, shattering its bone-plated backside and pinning it in place. Remus entered the fray by teleporting in above the Deathstalker with Checkpoint before cutting its stinger off. Before he landing on the Grimm's back he activated the energy in Roumulus and used his double-bladed staff the slice off its pincher claws then killed it by stabbing it straight through the head.

"Leveled up again huh?" Silver questioned with a smirk.

"Yeah! And I'm ready for more EXP!" Remus answered with vigor as he looked at the few Nevermores above. "Need a boost?" he asked Silver and Violet.

The three of them teleported in the sky above the three Nevermores and each of them choose their victims. Violet threw several of her Chesire Enigmas at the back of one of them. These throwing knives had gravity dust in their handles and when they all activated, the dust increased gravity's effect on the giant bird and sent it hurdling down to the ground below. It crashed into the ground, killing a Deathstalker and a few of the remaining Creeps before its own body turned to ash along with all the Grimm beneath it. Silver did the same with his Nevermore, firing several Gravity Bullets at it to send it falling down to die along with the last of the Creeps.

Remus used a different approach compared to his friends. He used his double-bladed staff to stab the last Nevermore in the back to make the beast his foothold. He used the blades on the staff to cut off its wings. Remus used Checkpoint to teleport off the Nevermore before it fell to a falling Violet then teleported to the ground safely. Silver used Gravity to slow his descent and landed on the ground next to them.

"Thank you, Remus," Violet said with a grateful smile.

Silver arched his eyebrow before saying, "You know you could've helped me too?"

"But you have Gravity. You never need help with falling," Remus countered innocently.

"I know, but it's nice to be saved once in a while. I mean, where's the love?" Silver joked.

"If you want him to save you, I can toss you off a building every now and then. Remus can save you and I get to throw you off a building like I always dreamed of. It's a win-win," Violet suggested. Remus thought she was kidding, but Silver knew she wasn't.

Unbeknownst to them, there was one more Grimm left in the area, a Nevermore was flying high above their line of sight and decided to descend on them from a good distance. It was eyeing all three of them and was ready to shoot them all by firing its giant feathers at them, but it never got the chance. Out of nowhere, a sparkling gold tornado appeared just below the Nevermore and it grew taller and taller until it reached the Nevermore itself. Something inside the tornado was flying all the way to the top and when the whirlwind disappeared, someone was in air behind the giant bird and their eyes were glowing gold. With a mighty swing of a massive blade, the figure brought the Nevermore down to the ground. It was still moving, but the figure in the air fell on top of it with their weapon landing flat on the bird's back, effectively killing it with tremendous force.

The freelancers looked at the dead Grimm's body turn to ash while covering the figure. Even though they couldn't see who it was, they knew immediately who saved them.

"ZELTS!" Remus shouted with joy.

Zelts walked out of the black fog to see his friends and they could see he was wearing different clothes. He wore a sleeveless, dark yellow shirt under a zipped-down, black jacket. The shirt was laced with dust like his previous shirt and the jacket had green lining along with the four black buttons and the collar was folded down. Zelts wore dark grey pants with black and grey shoes. Besides his outfit, Zelts didn't change much in appearance. He still had his short beard and his Heart of Gold. He put the shield on his back before approaching his friends.

Remus immediately teleported in front of Zelts and sort of tackled him when he ran into him. He fell to the ground by landing on his butt, but he was perfectly fine. Zelts lend him a hand to help his friend back on his feet while Violet and Silver walked to the duo.

"Hey guys. It's been a while," Zelts said casually. He flashed them a warm smile to show he was here. Violet smiled back at him and Silver placed his hand on Zelts' shoulder.

"Been a while? You've been gone for a week and a half!" Silver countered.

"N-not that we were keeping track," Violet said. She wasn't trying to hide the fact that they missed him or she was doing a horrible job at hiding it. Either way, Zelts felt happy that he meant so much to them.

"I'm sorry I took so long getting home. It was really nice being with Lily again, without having to deal with death battles every day," Zelts joked with a smile as he rubbed the back of his head.

"And shacking with Lily probably added to your reason for staying, right?" Silver commented as he jabbed Zelts in the sides for laugh. However, Zelts didn't find his words funny and neither did Violet. Silver's words about their relationship were quite insulting and Violet knew exactly what to do. It also meant she could cross something off her bucket list.

 **Setting: Concordia**

"ZELTS! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE-" Silver shouted as Zelts held him high above his head.

All the members were on top of Concordia, Clair de Lune Vantablack's office, home, and the tallest building in Fortuna. Remus was sitting on the ledge of the building, looking down at the bottom as Violet happily watched Zelts hold Silver in the air before throwing him over.

Silver didn't scream because he used his semblance to slow his descent to the ground, but he had to wait to activate since slowing down meant taking forever to do.

"Feel better?" Violet asked Zelts.

He let out a breath before saying, "Yeah, I needed that. I know he meant no harm, but still…"

"I totally get it," Violet answered for him. "Remus, can you get Silver for me?" she asked her young friend sweetly.

"Okay," he answered before using Checkpoint to teleport to Silver and teleport again to the top of the roof.

"Alright, am I done?" Silver asked, but he was quickly given his answer.

Violet grabbed him by his shirt and tossed him off the roof herself. Silver wasn't surprised in the slightest and thought she would've done this when they first met.

"I wanted to do that since the day I met him," Violet said feeling very satisfied.

* * *

 **Zelts may have appeared to his team just now, but he's actually been in Fortuna for at least a day. He wanted to surprise his friends by making a grand entrance, except he never found a good chance to show himself and it was getting tedious. The only people who were aware of his return were Clair, who was aware of the airship's arrival, and Sterling, who caught Zelts hiding behind the corner while leering at his friends. Despite Zelts' maturity, he could be childish sometimes.**

 **Alexandrite came from Virago. She was a warrior that was a cut above the rest and was most likely to be the next monarch once Saffron stepped down, but Alexandrite had different ideas. She learned at a young age that she enjoyed fighting, reveling in the chaotic landscape that was Vacuo, but when she couldn't find any Grimm or bandits to battle, Alexandrite would grow anxious and pick fights with her fellow warriors. This was something Saffron didn't like about her and had her removed as a warrior, placing Alexandrite under house arrest until she calmed down. Unfortunately for Saffron, Alexandrite used this time to communicate with the criminal underground using her scroll and she eventually made contact with Grayson.**

 **Azura and Remus are relatives from the same family, but their actual relationship was not explained in the story because neither of them know. Technically, Remus and Azura are cousins.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: New Competition**

 **Setting: Liberia**

Violet was in the district of Fortuna where the criminals dwelled. She was sitting in a pub where she sat at the bar, waiting for her client to meet with her. Violet ordered herself some tea as she waited for whoever she was supposed to meet and she was only able to take two sips before her potential client showed up.

"Hello, you're one of the freelancers, right?"

Violet turned around to see who was talking to her. Violet's client was an old man with a very long, grey, friendly mutton chops. His moustache grew into his beard which was frazzled, making the man look like his face was covered in hair, like a feral cat. It was really distracting and she was trying her best to be professional and look the man in the eyes. He took the seat next to her and she stared at his facial hair, wondering how long it took him to get it in that state.

"I am aware of your team's reputation. I am also aware you are fond of remaining anonymous, keeping your stronghold's location a complete mystery, never contacting past clients for favors or other jobs, and the most popular of your secrecy, never revealing your name and the random aliases you use for clients in order to keep information from leaking on both sides. Speaking of which, would you do me the honor of coming up with-"

"Mr. Whiskers," Violet said without thinking.

Violet mentally cursed herself for blurting that out. It was not a name she made for him, it was an insult and she said it.

 _"There goes our money,"_ she thought, though the next thing she heard was the old man laughing.

"Ahahahaha… Mr. Whiskers, how appropriate. It does fit me quite well," Mr. Whiskers said after a few chuckles. Violet was relieved Mr. Whiskers had a man who could take a joke.

"Yes, well, what kind of job did you want us to do?" Violet asked.

"I've been trying to start my own dust company here in Vacuo. There are many sources of dust in Vacuo that have yet to be discovered and I want to find them all, eventually becoming the sole proprietor of dust to the kingdom," Mr. Whiskers explained.

"What about the Schnee Dust Company?" Violet questioned since they were the top dogs in the dust trading game.

"Thanks to the incident at Beacon Academy-"

 _"_ _Thanks?"_ Violet questioned in her mind as Mr. Whiskers continued.

"-trading dust between kingdoms has been forbidden in order to keep the peace. Unfortunately for our kingdom, resources are scarce throughout the land, settlements come and go daily, except for the Vacuo kingdom itself and this place, for however long it can stay afloat. I want to build a company exclusively in Vacuo that both excavates and sells all the dust the kingdom has to offer."

"…I see." she responded dryly.

Violet didn't know how to feel about Mr. Whiskers' ambition. Monopolizing on the recent tragedy seemed immoral, but she wouldn't mind there being a place where she could actually buy dust for herself. Since trading dust was temporarily illegal, she's been forced to purchase them from the black-market area of the Bazaar or steal them from the foes she fights. Doing this might actually help her in the future.

"What do you need the freelancers to do?" Violet asked.

"So far, my company has been able to establish its first base of operations. We have already begun collecting dust crystals, but the progress has been slow because finding them is very difficult and dangerous because bandits have been targeting my building. They've been raiding all the dust my employees have excavated, leaving us with very little and making it impossible for my business to start. We're planning another excavation at a potential site and I need you and your fellow freelancers to guard what remains of the dust we already have until we return. If the last of it is taken again, it may be the end of my company."

"Guard duty? We can manage that," Violet answered, accepting the job.

"Really? Thank you very much!" Mr. Whiskers was happy to hear Violet would do the job. He reached into his pocket to bring out some Lien. He handed it to Violet.

"This is only a small amount. You'll receive the rest when you complete the mission. I'll send you the location of where my building is, so head there as soon as you can," Mr. Whiskers instructed before getting up and leaving.

Violet pulled out her scroll to inform her boys about the mission so they could prepare to move out.

 **Setting: Mr. Whiskers' Dust Company**

Team VRSZ drove to the destination Mr. Whiskers gave them, leading them to his company building where dust was stored, sorted, processed, and eventually be sold to the public. The building was three-stories tall, and there wasn't much to the interior since it was new, so it was mostly empty, but it housed a large door which Violet guessed was the entrance to the dust vault that they were tasked to safeguard. Mr. Whiskers and his expedition team already left the building in the team's care and they guarded the place until their return.

"So, you called the man Mr. Whiskers?" Zelts asked Violet as they walked around the building.

"…Yeah, it was a spur of the moment kind of thing," Violet answered feeling a little embarrassed by the name.

She pulled out her scroll and pressed several buttons. "I was able to sneak a pic of him if you want to see it."

Violet showed Zelts the picture and he started laughing, but covered his mouth. The man's face was too much for him and his chuckles were getting through his hand. The laughing was contagious as Violet started snickering herself.

The other two freelancers stood on top of the building to get a good view of the surrounding area. Silver used his marksman eyes to check for any incoming threats and Remus did the same by using the scope in his bionic eye. Silver looked over at Violet and Zelts, wondering what they could be laughing about while they're on the job. Remus kept focus on the job and scouted the area, but he didn't see anything for a while until something entered his line of sight. Someone was walking toward the building.

"Silver, someone's-" Remus stopped informing Silver when he got a good look at who it was.

"What did you- huh?" Silver turned over to Remus, but he used Checkpoint to teleport away.

"Hey!" he shouted as he watched where he teleported. He saw that there was someone else there and Silver immediately changed Fenrir into sniper mode. He didn't know what Remus was thinking, but he was prepared to take this person out if he noticed any funny business. However, while Silver looked away, someone else was approaching from his backside.

Remus teleported to the desert in front of the person of interest. His face showed a concern expression before he asked, "What are you doing here Azura?"

Azura stood before him with a disdain look. Vividly upset that he was talking to her so casually after their last encounter. She was silent for a moment, trying to quell her hand equipped with her elemental staff. She needed to stall him for the plan to succeed, but luckily, she didn't need to buy time for long since her associates were already on the move.

"I'm here on a mission; steal the dust from that building," she responded coldly.

"But… we're here to guard this place," Remus responded sounding troubled about their predicament, but Azura didn't feel the same sentiment.

 _"_ _Perfect,"_ she thought before swinging her staff at Remus, hitting him in the head and knocking him a few feet away.

Silver saw this and was about to shoot her, but someone attacked him from behind. He was kicked in the back and nearly knocked off the building, but he grabbed onto the ledge so he wouldn't fall. Someone walked over to him and Silver saw that the person was none other than Grayson.

"Hey dumb-dumb. Bye dumb-dumb," Grayson said as he kicked Silver in the face, knocking off the building.

Silver was more upset that Grayson got the jump on him than falling, since he used Gravity to slow his descent. He separated Fenrir to dual gun form and aimed one at Grayson, but was met with three of his fire dust bombs. Silver cursed to himself for falling for a simple ploy before the bombs went off. The sound of the explosion caught Violet and Zelts' attention, leaving their blind spots vulnerable to another intruder.

Behind Violet and Zelts was Alexandrite, who slammed her massive lance at the ground between them, knocking the both of them away. Zelts fell into the sand and Violet landed on her feet as she saw the large woman. Violet quickly threw some knives at her and Alexandrite used her lance to deflect them, but the fire dust in the knives went off, surrounding the woman in flames. Zelts got up and Violet was going to tell him to check on the vault, but changed her mind when she noticed Alexandrite was unharmed when the flames died out. Her body was covered in red crystal that protected her from the attack. Female warrior lunged for the freelancers, but Zelts stood in her way with his Heart of Gold. She collided with the shield and the force was enough to push Zelts back a couple feet. Alexandrite's body was pressed against the shield, allowing her to swing at his left side with her lance. The attack worked on the unsuspecting Zelts, who was knocked off his feet and pushed into the sand. He and Violet realized she was a serious threat.

Silver crashed into the sand below after being engulfed in the explosion, thankfully his aura protected him from any serious harm. He immediately got up because that explosion created a large hole at the top of the building. Using Gravity, he jumped onto the side of the wall and ran up till he was at the hole where he jumped over to enter the building. Silver saw Grayson try to crack the safe open, so he immediately fired at him. Grayson quickly backed away to avoid being the gunfire then drew his broadsword so he could battle.

Remus and Azura were battling each other in the distance. The two of them were relentless with their attacks; striking, defending, and evading each other without missing a beat. Any mistake could change the tide of the battle. Remus teleported behind her to strike with his bladed staff, but Azura quickly reacted by turning around and parrying with her elemental staff. The two held their own against each other until Azura activated the ice dust in one of her arms. It flowed through the staff, covering it in ice and the ice extended past the staff's range. The ice at the tip of the staff formed a spear and extended toward Remus' head, but he bobbed out of the way just in time. Azura used that moment to activate the lightning dust in her other arm and pressed the palm of her hand on his chest, blasting him with a strong electric surge that pushed him a good distance away. When the distance between them formed, Azura immediately used the ice dust in her legs to cover the ground around her in ice.

Azura knew Remus was fast and spreading ice on the ground would reduce his crazy running speed, but she wasn't stupid. She was all too aware of his semblance which was fast as well, but she learned from their first battle how to deal with it. After covering enough of the ground around her in ice, Azura immediately activated the lightning dust in both her arms to cover her upper body and staff in electricity. Remus saw what she was doing and could only think about how she made it more difficult for him and how amazing it was to face a fellow Cobalt in battle again. It was always exhilarating to him. He changed Romulus into its railgun form, deciding to attack his relative from long distance. He fired several bolts of energy, but Azura nimbly evaded all of them.

Throughout the battlefield, it was impossible to determine which side was winning. Silver was doing his best to keep Grayson from reaching the vault, but the task wasn't easy. He never thought about until now, but Grayson was a strong fighter who's gone toe-to-toe with Violet when she was on the run. Silver and Grayson were in close combat with escrima sticks clashing with broadsword. Silver was surprised that Grayson was this skilled, but he didn't let that stop him. He put both his escrima sticks in one hand to block against Grayson's sword and he used this moment to reach into his pocket. He threw sand into Grayson's eyes like a juvenile in a schoolyard fight and it worked. Grayson was blind and he reeled back from the unexpected move. Silver immediately capitalized on this and started his symphony. He used Fenrir to beat Grayson's body mercilessly then used Gravity to grab him and throw him out of the building. Silver was relieved the fight was over, however Grayson wasn't one for happy endings. Behind Silver were a large amonut of Grayson's fire dust bombs and they all went off. The combined force of the fire dust consumed the inside of the building, sent Silver flying with his aura broken, and destroyed the door to the vault.

Violet rushed over to a crystallized Alexandrite as the warrior tried to impale her with her lance. Violet quickly dove down to avoid the lance, though her jacket got caught by the weapon, leaving Violet with her dark purple, shoulder-less shirt. She lost a layer of clothing, but it was worth it when she got past Alexandrite. Violet examined Alexandrite's body and noticed that her joints weren't covered in crystal, showing she couldn't if she wanted to move. Violet quickly acted on learning this and stomped her boot against the back of Alexandrite's knee, forcing her down to one knee, and Violet quickly elbowed her in the back of her head, bringing Alexandrite further to the ground, but Violet felt some pain from hitting the thick crystal.

Alexandrite got up to retaliate, but she, Violet, and Zelts heard the explosion and saw the building nearly destroyed. Violet caught a glimpse of something else, Silver, unconscious and high in the air before he started falling to the ground. Realizing he was in danger, Violet shouted for Zelts to save him while she kept Alexandrite busy. Alexandrite tried to attack her, but Zelts sent a gust of wind her way to push her away from Violet before leaving to help Silver.

Zelts got close to where Silver would probably land then spun his body around with wingblades in each arm, cloaking himself in wind and flew in the air to catch his friend. When he made it to Silver, he caught him with one arm and both of them were falling to the ground. Before they made impact, Zelts swung the only wingblade he could use to send a gust of wind to the ground to slow their descent. Zelts tucked and rolled when they hit the ground and saw Silver was alright. He carefully laid Silver on ground, outside the battle to make sure he doesn't get hurt any further. Feeling that his would be safe, Zelts ran back to return to Violet's side.

Remus was still trying to hit Azura with his railgun, but she dodged every shot he blasted her way. Azura froze more of the ground as she made her way to Remus while her upper body was still surging with electricity. However, the ice stopped after a certain distance because Azura overexerted the dust in her legs. She couldn't use them for a while, but that didn't matter to her since she skated on the ice to close the distance between them. Before she attacked him, Remus changed his railgun back to staff mode and extended the blades on each side before clashing with her. The electricity running through her body ran its way to Remus' body, gradually hurting him, but it wasn't enough to stop him, so Azura decided to amp it up. She increased the amount of lightning she was discharging to very high levels and it surged out of control, consuming Remus and Azura in a large electric blast. Remus quickly teleported away and the lightning ceased, leaving Azura alone on the scorched earth. She was on the ground and out of breath, but relatively unharmed. Remus teleported a far distance away, but he the effects of the electric blast was running through his body and it was shaking. His aura finally broke and he fell in the sand due to fatigue, leaving Violet and Zelts as the only freelancers left in the fight.

Alexandrite tried to slash at Violet with her lance, but Violet jumped out of the way and threw a large amount of fire Enigmas at her, causing a big explosion that pushed Alexandrite back a couple feet. That attack was able to break through the crystal armor on her chest and left arm, showing Alexandrite's semblance wasn't impervious. Alexandrite could admit to herself that she liked Violet for her cunning and strength. Her thoughts her disrupted when Violet suddenly vanished on the spot. Alexandrite didn't know if this was trick or the desert heat casting a mirage, but Violet was officially gone. The female warrior walked around to find her until she saw Zelts standing a distance away with Violet reappearing next to him.

"Ready?" Violet asked Zelts and he nodded.

Zelts swung his wingblades to create a massive tornado and sent it Alexandrite's way. She was engulfed by the twister where she was lifted and carried by its current. Alexandrite used her semblance to replace the pieces of armor she lost, covering her chest and left arm in blue crystal this time. While she did this, Violet threw all the Chesire's Enigmas she had with lightning dust into the tornado and the dust activated within. The lightning inside crackled and surged throughout the tornado, creating a dangerous lightning storm inside that blasted and struck Alexandrite multiple times. This move was Violet and Zelts' team attack; Petal Storm: Thundercracker.

The thundering cyclone didn't cease, but Alexandrite was spit out, with most of her crystal armor broken off, and she fell to the ground. She was in pain, but conscious as she slowly got up to see the two freelancers ready to finish her, though she saw something else coming toward her and she smiled. Dashing through the sand was Grayson on his dust-cycle with several vials of dust attached to a holster wrapped around his chest. He quickly zipped through Violet and Zelts to get to Alexandrite.

"We got what we came for. Let's go get Azura," he told Alexandrite who quickly got on the back seat of the vehicle.

Grayson smirked triumphantly at Violet before leaving. This was her first time actually seeing him here and her eyes widened when she came to a realization.

"Shit!" she cursed before running straight for the vault.

Grayson drove over to Azura who was on her knees and exhausted. She wanted to go over and end Remus, but she felt Alexandrite's large hand grab her arm. Azura was hoisted onto Alexandrite's lap, much to her displeasure, and Grayson drove all three of them away from the area.

Violet made it to Mr. Whisker's building and ran to the vault. The door was busted open from the explosion and she could see that all the dust inside was gone. She took a good guess that Grayson stole it all when she and her team were busy fighting. Zelts picked up Silver, who was still unconscious and in pretty bad shape while Violet recovered Remus, who was too tired to stand or walk on his own.

"This was a mess," Zelts said as he and the rest of the team waited for Mr. Whiskers' return.

They were inside the Fantasia with Remus and Silver in the back while Violet was in the driver's seat and Zelts was in the passenger's seat. They reviewed with each other what they each experienced, except Silver who was still knocked out.

"It's my fault," Remus managed to say through a dry throat. He wasn't feeling great about losing to Azura or leaving his post so easily. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You win some, you lose some. Right Violet?" Zelts asked Violet, but she didn't respond.

She was contemplating everything that happened in this mission and came up with one thought.

 _"_ _We failed,"_

Team VRSZ failed their mission, they were beaten by Grayson and his new associates stole the dust and nearly beat all of them. Violet was angry that Grayson's group bested them, and that her team wouldn't get paid in full after everything they've been through. She was also very aware of the intense animosity between her and Grayson, which begged the only question she had; _"When will Grayson and VRSZ clash again?"_

* * *

 **Team VRSZ isn't known by their clients as Team VRSZ. They're called by their occupation; Freelancer. The only ones that call them Team VRSZ are their friends.**

 **After abandoning Greyhound, Silver has grown into a better person, though his criminal tendencies have not completely subsided. He's known for mugging lowlife criminals for money, making shady deals for rare items he could sell in the Bazaar, and other things. His teammates are aware of this, but he prefers if Bianca remained in the dark about this because he didn't want her to lecture him. Actually, Bianca has been keeping some activities of her own from Silver, but it'll come to light in a future chapter.**

 **Violet and Zelts' team attack Petal Storm is Violet sending a swarm of knives through one of Zelts' tornadoes to rip enemies to shreds, but there are several dust variations used throughout the series. Hellfire (fire), Diamond Dust (ice), and Thundercracker (lightning).**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: Rivalry**

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

On the first floor of Team VRSZ's base, Zelts was in the kitchen eating an omelet he just made for himself. He kept eating it when he heard Silver walk down the stairs and enter the kitchen.

"Hmmm… Morning," Silver told Zelts as he made his way to the fridge.

Zelts had some of his omelet in his mouth, so he responded by lifting his arm up to show he acknowledged him. Silver opened the fridge to find some eggs, but he didn't see any. He looked at the kitchen garbage bin and noticed that the egg cartoon was sticking out. Seeing how Zelts was eating an omelet, he had guessed they ran out.

"We don't have any more eggs?" Silver asked.

"Yup," Zelts answered.

"I thought there were at least five left in there."

"There were five in there, but I used them all," Zelts answered and Silver looked at him in disbelief.

"You used five eggs for one omelet?" Silver asked rhetorically then said, "You didn't think I wanted eggs too?"

"I'm gonna be honest. You never crossed my mind when I was making this, plus I was very hungry." Zelts didn't seem to care about Silver's plight as he continued to eat his large omelet.

"Fine, then I'll just make myself a sandwich or something," Silver groaned as looked in one of the fridge's compartments for their loaf of bread.

"Can't. I used the last two slices for toast," Zelts responded as he pointed to a corner on his plate with bread crumbs.

"Son of a-" Silver pinched the bridge of his nose, groaned to himself, then left the kitchen. "I'm going out to get something to eat," Silver said as he walked to the front door.

"You got Lein?" Zelts asked.

"I'll get some through some illegal activity. Nothing I haven't done before," Silver answered nonchalantly as he let the building, leaving Zelts to finish his omelet.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

Violet was spending her day with Clair, but her expression showed she wasn't in the best of moods. They were at the spa they visited a while back, soaking in the warm soothing waters. Clair stared at Violet who was grumbling to herself. She knew what was bothering her young friend and she finally asked, "Are you still bothered about your recent missions?"

Violet glanced at Clair then looked away, refusing to answer. Clair thought it was cute that Violet was being childish about the matter, though talking it out was the best way to get over it.

"Staying silent won't solve any real problems. Grayson and his cohorts aren't going away anytime soon, so you'll have to deal with them," Clair stated.

Violet knew she was right, but she still found it vexing. It's been two weeks since their first defeat and they received multiple jobs from clients and Grayson's group showed up to stand against them on most of them. Sometimes the freelancers would succeed and other times Grayson's team would stop them. It was steadily becoming known in some parts of Vacuo that if you want to counter the freelancers, then hire Grayson or vice versa. Violet wasn't fond of losing to them nor the false relationship people are stirring.

"I'm not allowed to gripe about this?" Violet asked Clair who grinned at her.

"Of course you can, but if want to move forward, you have to take a page from Grayson's notebook."

"What?" Violet responded a little confused.

"Grayson learned from his defeats against your team and made a team of his own so he could compete with you on equal footing. Now it's your turn to learn from these past failures to get the upper hand," Clair said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"…I guess that makes sense." Violet had to admit Clair's suggestion was a sound idea.

"You're an intelligent young woman Violet. I'm sure you'll think of something. Now buck up. I invited you so we could have fun. No one likes to hang out with a fuddy-duddy Violet," Clair said with a playful smile and Violet smiled right back, feeling a little better now that she talked to her friend.

Violet would have to come up with new ways for her and her boys to combat Grayson's team, but she could worry about that after the pedicure and manicure.

 **Setting: Grayson's Hideout**

After the destruction of the old hideout he was using, Grayson took Alexandrite and Azura to a different base. This one was made out of stone like the last one, but it was next to a small oasis, making it much more hospitable. Azura was outside resting at the oasis, sitting beneath a tree just a few feet away from the minuscule lake. She was thinking about how right she was about siding with Grayson so she could battle Remus. They already had several encounters with either one of them seizing victory, though she never had a chance to kill him. They were always completing mercenary jobs for money and rare items, forcing Azura's battle to come to an abrupt end. It annoyed her, but it was Grayson's rule and it was necessary if she wanted to keep facing Remus, especially since none of them knew where the freelancers lived. The other freelancers barely crossed her mind. To Azura, they were just in the way and she fought them only to remove them as obstacles. Despite working with Grayson, her end goal was being the sole heir to the Cobalt name.

Grayson and Alexandrite were inside the base which was actually empty, save for two mattresses, pile of blankets in the corner, and Grayson's dust-cycle. Grayson was counting the Lein they received after their last string of missions. He was sitting on one of the mattresses, counting and dividing the money they earned. Alexandrite was resting on the pile of blankets until Grayson walked up to her and dropped a pile of Lien on her stomach. She looked at it with her eyes, now green, and picked it up.

"What's this?" Alexandrite asked. Her changed to purplish-red.

"Your cut. It's what you earned on the missions you went on," Grayson answered.

Alexandrite looked at the money like it was some foreign object. Her face was disgruntled and held the money out to Grayson. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.

"Um, spend it," Grayson answered, thinking it was odd for a mercenary to question getting paid. "You can do whatever you want with it."

"I told you I only joined so I could fight, that's all. What do I need money for?" Alexandrite asked.

"You can buy stuff you need or want. For example, I have to buy things to make this place more livable. I don't have a lot of hideouts in Vacuo, but this is the best one, so I have to make it more accommodating. I'll be doing just that for a while. I want to make this place our base of operations, so I'll be doing some decorating for a while. Here."

Grayson threw another wad of Lien at her and she caught it. "Give that to Azura. It's her share. And no fighting. I don't want this place to be wrecked when I get back," Grayson instructed as he walked over to his dust-cycle.

"Me?" Alexandrite said exaggeratedly with her voice drenched in sarcasm. "I would never think of hurting little Babyblue. She's so precious."

"Seriously Alexandrite, just give her the money then walk away. I love a hot cat fight, but not at the expense of my home," Grayson said before he hopped on his cycle and drove out the base.

Azura opened one of her eyes when she heard Grayson drive off, then looked at Alexandrite who stood before her. The tall woman stood there doing nothing, but it was enough for Azura to scowl at her. It's been about two weeks since they've been together, but their relationship hasn't improved one bit. Azura disliked Alexandrite, Alexandrite enjoyed making fun of Azura, and a fight would ensue.

"What do you want?" the Cobalt asked rather harshly, but Alexandrite didn't care. She just tossed her the money.

"Grayson said this was your cut. Do whatever you want with it," Alexandrite stated.

Azura didn't say anything as she looked at the money before putting it away. The atmosphere was awkward between them because this was actually the first time the two of them have been around each other without fighting or Grayson there to be the middle man. Alexandrite scratched the back of her head, thinking about whether or not to ask her so called friend a question she wanted to ask, but she bit the bullet and asked anyway.

"What's your deal with the other Cobalt? Every time we face that team, you always go straight for him."

"His family banished me and my parents then my parents died for his. When I look at him, I think about my parents dying because of Silvia, his mother, and… I plan on eliminating him someday, and the Cobalt name will be mine alone. The Cobalt line will be known throughout the world with me as the last member."

"Ooookay," Alexandrite rolled her blue eyes, thinking Azura's goal was foolish. "If you want, I can kill him for you. He's a pretty good fighter with a very rare type of semblance, so he'll be worth battling."

"Absolutely not! Remus is mine! You can fight him, but you can't kill him. That's my job," Azura said as she stood up to face Alexandrite, though she only reached up to her chest. The difference in height also vexed Azura because she looked like a child next to her.

"…Whatever. The other ones on that team are just as fun to fight. I really hope we fight them soon. I got to pay back that guy with the shield after our last encounter. He's got a nasty left hook," Alexandrite said full of vigor.

She was ready to face Team VRSZ again and she wasn't the only one. Azura was more than prepared to fight her cousin again. Grayson was riding through the desert, thinking about the same thing, more like wondering what will happen next time. The rivalry between the two teams is beginning to spread and it's affecting their jobs, forcing them to fight a lot when competing clients need to hire mercenaries. Grayson had to think about future encounters and so did Violet.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

After her spa day with Clair, Violet thought about Grayson's team and his most useful resource; his connections to the criminal underworld. He could call on more allies to turn the tide of battle which would be disastrous for Team VRSZ. A streak of failures would mean the end of their job as freelancers. Violet walked back home while trying to figure out an answer to her dilemma. She was too into her thoughts that she didn't realize she bumped into someone.

"Sorry… Oh, Cerise."

Violet saw that the person she bumped into was Cerise and the young girl smiled at the freelancer she admired the most.

"Don't worry about it. It's my fault too. I'm just happy that we got the next two weeks off at the academy, I was so giddy that I wasn't paying attention either," Cerise said while still bearing her smile.

Violet had a smile too, but a small one. She was glad her friend's joy was able to quell her worries, even if it's temporary.

"Hey! If you need any help on missions at Moneta, please let us know. My team and I have a lot of free time now and getting some real experience with you guys would be nice. What do you say?" Cerise asked confidently, showing she has improved in demeanor.

Violet was going to say yes, but had a brilliant idea instead. She realized she and her boys had friends, friends in Fortuna who could come and help on their jobs. The idea was brilliant, so brilliant that Violet actually hugged Cerise out of nowhere, surprising the young girl, and run home. Cerise was just confused as she watched Violet leave.

"Um, was that a yes?" Cerise asked herself.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Silver returned back to base after eating lunch with some stolen money. He walked upstairs to use the bathroom, but before he made it to the first step on the stairs, Violet burst through the front door, startling Silver for a second.

"Silver! I figured out how to get the edge on Grayson," Violet declared.

She was beaming with confidence and happiness. Silver didn't like it one bit because he knew when she's like this, she becomes very annoying. Silver didn't respond to her and walked up the stairs to avoid what was coming. Violet followed him while still talking to him even though he ignored her.

"Grayson gets the better of us because he hires extra muscle!" Violet said as she followed Silver up the stairs.

"But who says we can't do that too!" Silver continued to ignore her until her reached the safety of the bathroom.

"We have tons of friends and we can ask for their help!" Silver entered the bathroom, shut the door, and inwardly proclaimed sanctuary, but that didn't stop Violet who entered absent-mindedly.

"Bianca, Blood, Ghost, Team CLSH! We can ask any of them to come help us and we can pay them for their services! It's an even playing field! What do you think?"

"GET THE HELL OUT OF THE BATHROOM YOU PSYCHO!" Silver shouted in anger.

"We got a chance! Grayson's team is going down!" Violet said, ignoring Silver's plea.

"GET OUT!"

Violet finally felt ready to take on Grayson and whoever he chooses to fight at his side.

* * *

 **The next couple chapters will be about Team VRSZ on missions as freelancers, the original plan for Volume Five which wasn't supposed to be plot driven, but somehow became so somewhere in the middle.**

 **It's been around two weeks since Team VRSZ meet Grayson and the others and they already have opinions on each other. Silver thinks Alexandrite is extremely hot and her skintight bodysuit doesn't leave much to the imagination. He also thinks Azura is attractive, but won't say so in front of Remus because that's his relative. Azura doesn't think much of the other VRSZ members. Alexandrite has a sort of rivalry with Zelts since she sees him as a fighting equal.**

 **Grayson's team doesn't have a team name because there aren't any permanent members and he has several connections. His allies are divided into two categories; primary and secondary comrades. Primary comrades are those like Azura and Alexandrite, allies he has recruited and are occupying one of his bases. They are usually the first ones Secondary allies are those who Grayson calls for favors like travel or intel. They aren't his go to for combat, but he'll call them if need be. Basically, primary comrades are for combat and secondary comrades are support.**

 **Grayson's primary and secondary division of comrades is based off the primary and secondary colors since Grayson's team doesn't have a color name.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Cast Change**

 **Setting: Unknown Settlement**

It was another day, another mission for Team VRSZ. Today, they're under the employment of a women with the alias Lady B. The woman thought Violet named here this because her hair was blonde, but Violet called her that because 'B' stood for bitch. She was very unpleasant, condescending, and narcissistic, but she was wealthy and that was enough for Violet to take the job. The mission she wanted the freelancers to accomplish was thievery. They were to steal a large jewel. An old man discovered it and the jewel was now being held in a small stronghold in a nearby settlement. It would eventually be sent to an artifact museum in Vacuo for everyone to see. Lady B wants it for herself and she's willing to pay the freelancers an extremely large amount of money for retrieving it. Violet agreed to the job only for the money. She didn't care about stealing from a museum because she and her teammates are freelancers not huntsmen, they're less ethical so they can cross some lines normal huntsmen wouldn't cross.

After driving for hours, Violet and her team finally made it to the settlement where the stronghold was located. She was ready to complete the task at hand with her teammates, however the team wasn't the usual line-up of freelancers. Joining Violet on this mission was her teammate and second-in-command, Zelts, but instead of Remus and Silver, they were accompanied by Cerise and Ghost. Cerise wasn't sure about stealing as an objective, but she was more than happy fight alongside Violet and Zelts for the experience. After all her time in the academy, the young girl felt prepared. Ghost was helping out for two reasons; the money and because Silver was annoying the hell out of him back home.

The original plan was for all the members of Team VRSZ to go with Cerise as backup, however Remus and Silver were under the weather. The two of them were sick, leaving them unable to take part in the mission. Remus remained at home while Zelts delivered Silver to Bianca, who the gunman wanted to stay with than be with Remus. It only took Zelts closing the apartment door for Ghost to open it again, saying he wanted to come so he wouldn't deal with an annoying, sick Silver. While Silver was being watched by Bianca, Remus was under someone else's care, someone the others trusted to watch over him, Clair de Lune Vantablack. The overly-doting, older sister figure was more than happy to look after the youngest member until they returned.

Ghost was sitting in the passenger's seat with his feet on the dashboard. He let out a yawn from the long drive and asked, "What's next boss?"

The first thing she did was point to his feet, signaling to put them down and he did. The second thing she did was explain the plan to everyone.

"Fortuna's pretty far from the stronghold, so we have to do this now. The jewel is going to be taken to the Vacuo Kingdom tomorrow morning and we'll never be able to get it. Our only option is to take it while it's here in the stronghold where security is less strict."

"So what do we do now?" Cerise asked.

"For now, we wait. There are people most likely on guard to protect the jewel from thieves like us and I'm sure others know about it too, so the guards will be at full force to prevent any thief from taking it. Our best bet is to steal the jewel come nightfall. Any questions?" Violet asked.

Zelts glanced at Ghost, who seemed fine with the plan. He was never one for questioning leaders like Violet or Clair because it meant more work for him. Zelts looked at Cerise and she seemed to have something on her mind, but was hesitant to speak. He thought it was because she admired Violet and didn't want to undermine her tactics. Zelts nudged her shoulder softly to get her attention. She looked at him and he nodded, telling her it was alright to speak. Cerise took a deep breath before speaking up.

"Violet," she said, to get her senior's attention.

"Hmm?" Violet curiously looked at Cerise, showing no anger or condescension in her expression. It helped the pinkish-red haired girl feel a little better before making her suggestion.

"I- If other people are trying to steal the jewel just like us… and the guards are going to go stop them anyway… what if we try to steal the jewel when all the guards are busy dealing with another thief?" Cerise suggested, but it sounded more like a question in the end.

"…" Violet remained silent as she looked at Cerise.

Cerise was trying her best not to let her body shake. It was unnerving being under Violet's eyes, waiting for her judgement on what she said. She felt like it would've been better if she kept her mouth shut.

"Actually, that sounds better," Violet responded.

"Huh?" was all Cerise could say.

"Yeah, your idea is good. Probably better than mine since it gives us more opportunities than waiting all day."

Cerise smiled. She was so relieved to have Violet compliment her that she felt butterflies in her stomach. The vibes were spreading and Ghost reacted like he could feel them. He heaved before taking a few steps away from her.

"Alright, we're going to be here for a while so let's sit and wait. Only go to places around the stronghold so all of us can keep a close eye on it," Violet answered.

Ghost walked off on his own and so did Cerise. Zelts walked up to Violet with a grin on his face. "You already thought about using a distraction, didn't you?" Zelts asked, but already knew the answer.

"She needed to be more assertive, especially if she's going to lead a team. This is a good moment for her," Violet answered, with a kind face.

All four of them hung out around the settlement for two hours, sticking close to areas near the building serving as the jewel's stronghold. They watched as several bandits tried to enter the building by force, but the guards were able to fend them all off. There was no moment where the freelancers could've used as a chance to sneak in. Everyone was being patient with this part of the plan, especially Ghost, who enjoyed being lazy by taking a nap at the town's eatery, but it didn't last forever.

A person shouted out a battle cry while jumping right into the group of guards. The person knocked them all down with her lance and they immediately called in reinforcements. The team immediately took notice of this, especially Violet and Zelts, who knew who was causing the commotion, Alexandrite, meaning Grayson was nearby.

The number of the guards increased from twelve to thirty as all them try to suppress the powerful female warrior, but her sheer physical strength overpowered all of them. The guards equipped with guns fired everything they had, but Alexandrite activated her semblance, quickly coating her body in a layer of blue crystal which protected her from the bullets that either bounced off or were embedded into the crystal armor. Close combat was out of the question because she bested all of them put together, but they were duty-bound to protect the stronghold. They all ran at her, tackling her into a dog pile, but she just moved her arms out and she sent all of them flying. She did all this with a great big smirk on her face. It was a one-sided battle that caused all the citizens to flee and took all the attention away from the guards. It was the perfect opportunity for the freelancers to infiltrate the building.

"Alright team, go!" Violet shouted.

The freelancers sneaked around the area, making sure not to catch the attention of the guards or worse, Alexandrite. All of them successfully made it to the other side of the building without anyone noticing.

"Okay Ghost, can you get us through?" Violet asked.

The pale man nodded and held his hand out for one of them to take. Being the leader of the team, Violet went first by taking Ghost's hand so she could phase through the stronghold's wall. Ghost activated Spectre and walked through the wall along with Violet and just like that, they were in. Ghost left her alone so he could get Cerise and Zelts. Violet could actually understand what Silver told her about wanting Ghost's semblance. It was so cool being able to go almost anywhere. She almost felt like trading her Invisibility for Spectre, but her opinion changed when she sensed someone else's presence inside the building and she immediately activated her semblance to vanish. She looked over to see the inside of the building was sort of filled with several items and boxes, but the jewel was in the middle, resting on a small pedestal. It looked like an extremely large diamond that sparkled in many different colors.

There was someone inside, inspecting every nook and cranny for something. Violet knew who it was and didn't hesitate to throw a Chesire's Enigma at the person when he got close to the jewel. The person used his broadsword to deflect the throwing knife that surprisingly didn't go off.

"I'd say this is a nice a surprise, but I'd be lying. Let's be honest Vi, we see each other so much that we're practically dating now," Grayson said with a smirk.

Violet didn't respond as Ghost came through with Cerise, but not Zelts. Before she could ask why, Ghost explained, "Zelts said he was going to stay outside. Try to keep that crazy woman from getting in here after beating all the guards."

Violet thought that was understandable, but hoped he would be all right against someone that matched him in strength.

"Wow Violet. A new team? Guess you traded up from the band of trash you usually hang aroun-" Grayson said, but got interrupted when Violet threw another Enigma at him and he jumped out of the way to avoid, creating some distance between him and the jewel.

"Cerise, you and I will deal with him. Ghost, grab the jewel," Violet instructed as she grabbed a few more Enigmas and ran toward Grayson with Cerise following behind her.

Ghost made his way to the jewel while Violet threw her other knives at him and he brought up his broadsword to deflect them, but they landed around him. The dust in the hilts activated when the knives hit the ground and pillars of stone erected around Grayson, surrounding him on every side but the front. Cerise threw her cherry bombs at him to explode while giving him nowhere to escape, but he jumped and kicked off one of the stone pillars then did the same till he ascended high enough to jump out of the earth prison he was in before Cerise's explosives went off.

Grayson landed on the ground and Violet reacted by running to the Enigma she threw that didn't let go off and threw it at him again. He planned to get out the way, but Cerise activated Shields and created a spherical barrier around him, preventing him from escaping. She created a small opening for the knife to get through and when it did, Grayson put up his sword to deflect it. The knife made contact and the ice dust inside spread from the body of his sword to his right arm. Cerise dropped the barrier and Grayson threw three of his own dust bombs at the girls. Cerise made barriers for her and Violet to protect themselves from the explosions and Grayson used the heat to melt the ice a little before slamming his arm against the floor to break the last of the ice.

Ghost easily made it to the pedestal where their mark was located, but he wondered if it was rigged with a trap that would go off the moment he took the jewel. He approached it slowly and had both his hands just a few inches away from the jewel. He flexed his fingers, slowly getting closer to the prize, patiently trying to see the opportune moment to take the giant gem without springing a booby trap. If he took it off the pedestal, then maybe arrows will be launched at him from the walls, set off hidden flamethrowers, or a large boulder would drop down and crush him to his-

"Screw it," he said impatiently. Ghost just swiped the jewel off its pedestal and nothing happened, so he guessed there was no trap.

Outside, Zelts was battling Alexandrite to prevent her from getting inside where she could cause more trouble for the others. With his Heart of Gold as wingblades, he sent a strong gust of wind her way, but she stabbed her lance into the ground to help keep her in place. Once Zelts stopped blowing wind, she immediately ran at him and did the same while bringing his wingblades together to its shield form. Alexandrite lunged at him with her lance and he blocked the attack with his shield, though the force of her attack did push him back a couple feet. Her assault didn't end there since she quickly took a step to his right and reeled back a fist to punch him. Zelts couldn't bring his arms up from his shield fast enough to block the punch that hit him hard in the jaw. Her sheer strength knocked him back another few feet, but Zelts quickly retaliated by putting his shield up and charging straight at her.

She put up her lance to block, but since her weapon's only purpose was offense, it did nothing when the shield collided with both the lance and Alexandrite's arms. Zelts kept pressing forward, trying to push her back, but she pushed back, making Zelts move backwards a little bit. Zelts activated Conversion and used his semblance to absorb some of the dust woven into his shirt. The energy boosted his strength, giving him the increase he needed to overpower Alexandrite. He pushed her back and ran all the way to the stronghold, slamming her back against the steel door of the building while pinning her there for however long his teammates needed, but she wasn't making it easy as she struggled to get free.

"I got the jewel!" Ghost shouted to Violet who was still fighting Grayson with Cerise.

"Then get out of here! We'll catch up," she said as she pulled out her kukris. Ghost did as she said and walked out the building, phasing through the wall with the jewel in his hands.

"You came for a rock? I thought you were here for the weapons they had in here," Grayson said as he traded his broadsword for his taser blade.

Violet ran toward him and he brought the blade out to clash with her. When she was close, both she and Grayson tried to cut the other down only for their weapons to clash. This happened several times and Grayson was waiting for the electricity running through the taser blade to slow her down, but she didn't lose speed and he wondered why. On closer inspection of her weapon when they clashed again, he could see her kukris were also surging with electricity, meaning she had lightning dust in the hilt to cancel his own lightning dust. She brought her left foot to kick in the side of his head, but he blocked it by grabbing her ankle with his free hand.

"That taser blade's still all you got? You need some new moves," Violet teased.

A Runaway rolled in between them and they noticed. Fearing being hit point-blank by an explosion, Grayson let go Violet then backed away, seeing the bomb and Violet not moving, just standing there with her eyes shut. Cerise's Runaway went off, but instead of a burst of flames or ice, a brilliant light shined out, blinding Grayson. Violet was fully aware of Cerise using a flash bang Runaway and used this moment to do three things; Steal Grayson's taser blade, kick him square in the jaw, and escape. Grayson feel flat on his back with his eyes still closed.

"Looks like this is our win," he heard Violet say mockingly. "Better luck next time."

Grayson eventually opened his eyes to see he was the only one left in the building, upsetting him to a degree, but remembered his real purpose for being here was looking for weapons or things to sell on the black market. He still had the bitter taste of defeat for losing to Violet and having the taser blade taken from him. When he got outside, he saw that Alexandrite was on the ground looking tired and he cursed himself for not bringing Azura with him.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

Violet delivered the jewel to Lady B, who paid her over 200,000 Lien for her services which was probably pocket change compared to what that jewel was worth. She paid Ghost and Cerise their cut for helping. Ghost was more than willing to accept the money and Cerise was happier with the fact that Violet praised her performance on the mission, but still accepted the Lien. Cerise walked back to Ceres with an obvious spring her step while Violet drove to Ghost and Bianca's apartment building to trade Ghost for Silver.

 **Setting: Ghost and Bianca's Apartment**

"Bianca," Silver whined with his nasally voice. "Can you bring me a cup of tea?"

"Get it yourself Silver," she responded in a slightly irritated voice.

"Come on! I'm sick!" Silver said like a whiny brat.

"That's right, you're sick not dead, so you can get it yourself."

Silver grumbled before getting up to do it himself. Just when he did, the door to the apartment opened with Violet, Zelts, and Ghost on the other side. Violet and Zelts weren't seem too happy about what she saw.

"You're supposed to be laying down. How are you gonna get better if you're up on your feet?" Zelts lectured.

"I know. I've been telling him that all day. He just refuses to listen," Bianca said, feigning innocence when she brought Silver the tea he asked for earlier. He glared at Bianca who pretended not to notice. She enjoyed messing with him, but she did so out of affection.

"Did you guys run into-" Silver asked his team and Violet quickly answered, "Yup."

"Did you win?" he asked. Violet grinned and nodded her head. That was enough to make Silver grin in triumph.

"And I got you something," Violet pulled out the taser blade she stole from Grayson. "Spoils of war."

"Nice," he responded.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

The team returned back home to see Remus under the care of Clair. The three of them walked in on Clair sitting on the sofa with Remus' head in her lap as she traced his scar with her fingers while singing. She ended her song when she noticed everyone else returned. It was obvious that she used Songstress when she sang because of the dumbfounded look of pleasure on Remus' face. Violet and Zelts weren't surprised to see this when they came home because this was Clair and neither was Silver, but he was a bit jealous Remus received care from a kinder person.

"What did you do to him?" Violet asked out of curiosity.

"I just used Songstress to hit the pleasure center of the brain. It's very addictive so I can't use it on people often, but he was in such discomfort that I sang him a lullaby to put him to sleep. We've been like this for two hours and it's been so wonderful. Call me again when you need me." Clair gently laid Remus' head on the couch and excused herself out.

"I'll call you," Violet told Clair as she left.

Violet and Zelts let Remus sleep on the couch, so they went into the kitchen to figure out how they'll divide the money. Silver stared at Remus, feeling jealous he had such a leisurely time while he suffered his ailment. Silver strolled by the sofa and quickly smacked Remus' head, waking the boy and shocking him into wondering what happened.

"Huh!? WH- What!?" Remus shouted nonsense, wondering what happened to Clair and what hit him.

"Shut up and wake up," Silver answered with his nose stuffed up.

 _"_ _Lucky, oblivious, son of a bitch!"_ Silver thought in his mind.

All in all, today was a good day for the team.

* * *

 **Team VRSZ favorite food;**

 **Violet: Porterhouse Steak (Carnivore of the team)**

 **Remus: Sesame Noodles (With anything on it)**

 **Silver: Grilled Sea Bass (Likes to be fancy)**

 **Zelts: Beef Stew with Potatoes & Carrots (Loves the protein)**

 **Everyone on Team VRSZ has cursed before, except for Remus. He doesn't do it for two reasons. The first is because he doesn't like using them and the second reason is because he doesn't see a real point in saying them since he thinks they are just used to fill spaces in sentences or to poorly express one's feelings.**

 **Grayson's primary weapon is his grapple sword, but he likes to pick up items and weapons that interest him to add to his weaponry. This aspect makes him similar to Link from Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but he isn't out there saving people.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: Road Rage Part One**

 **Setting: Desert**

The freelancers were on another one of their jobs, working for Sterling. The elderly Vantablack was thinking of retiring from his position as the proprietor of Moneta, but he still had a job to uphold and he asked for the freelancers' assistance on one of them. He needed them to check a trade route Fortuna uses for importing and exporting goods. One of the traders entered Fortuna saying him cargo transport was attacked by Grimm, forcing him to abandon the vehicle to save his life. Sterling handled trading for Clair to relieve some of the workload off his favorite niece, but he still had to stay in Moneta to make sure none of the bounty hunters or mercenaries cause a scene. In order to deal with the matter, he called his favorite team of freelancers to take over for him.

The members of VRSZ that were driving through the desert right now were Remus and Silver. It was such an easy task that the team didn't have to come out at full force. They had to find any intact goods, bring them back to Fortuna, and dispatch of any Grimm along the way. Silver was more than pumped to get out the city-town and rip through the sands with the Fantasia, however Remus was sitting in the passenger's seat slumped over with a rather pessimistic look on his face as he watched the sand dunes. It was so unlike him to have such an expression, so much so that Silver questioned him about it as they drove.

"What's wrong with you? I thought you'd be excited to go out on a mission?"

Remus grumbled as he turned his head to his friend before saying, "This isn't a real mission. It's a fetch quest. Nobody likes a fetch quest." Remus pouted and it made Silver chuckle a little.

"Okay, yeah it is, but Sterling will pay us well for a good well done. Put on a happy face," Silver said jokingly. "Look! We got these new seat coolers. Huh? Now we can drive through the desert with nice cold butts!"

Remus eventually stopped pouting, but he was still slumped over in his seat. Silver talking to fill the void did lighten the mood for him, so he was more relaxed for the rest of the ride there. The seat coolers did make him feel better all the way to their destination.

It was like the trader said, the truck carrying the supplies was toppled over and there were Grimm walking around, stepping and tearing through the parcels containing whatever was supposed to reach Fortuna. The Grimm rummaging through were all Cockatrices, the weird rooster-like Grimm that could shock victims with its tails or encase them in a layer of stone with their eyes. Silver kept Fantasia at a far distance away to remain undetected by the large birds. Since he was in the car, Silver rubbed his finger against the missile button, but he decided against it because if the missiles missed, then they would probably blow up the merchandise and end the mission there.

Lucky for him, Remus was itching for any kind of fight. He used Checkpoint to teleport in front of one of the Grimm and jabbed the bottom of its head with Romulus in staff form. Before the Cockatrice and its friends could react, Remus twisted the handle and the blade shot out, piercing through the head of the Grimm, quickly killing it. There were seven Cockatrices left and they swiftly tried to strike back against Remus. Two of them swung their tails at him, but Remus ran out of the circle of Grimm before they reached him. The two roosters couldn't stop their momentum and their electrically charged tails wrapped around one of the other Cockatrice that was behind Remus and it was shocked to death by both of its allies. It turned to ash while giving the atmosphere the smell of fried poultry.

Deciding to take a part in the battle, Silver had Fenrir in sniper mode and shot a random Cockatrice in the head, killing it and doing the same thing with two more. In less than a minute, the eight Cockatrices were reduced to three. Remus ran toward one of the large birds and slashed its legs off before it noticed or even register the pain. It fell to the ground and flailed around while Remus continued to run around so he wouldn't be caught. He pulled out a fire dust crystal and placed it into his arm bracer. The other two Grimm decided to give chase, but were nowhere near fast enough to keep Remus in their sights, let alone catch him.

Silver decided to take a more physical role in the fight as he approached the one-legged Cockatrice. It was too busy flailing around to notice Silver and he separated Fenrir into its escrima sticks.

"I don't even know if you Grimm have bones, but that doesn't really matter now. Get ready for a symphony," Silver said to the Grimm that couldn't respond even if it wanted to.

He started bashing, slamming, and striking the large bird with his sticks like he was beating a drum till it broke. He mercilessly beat down on the Cockatrice that could do nothing to defend itself from the onslaught. Silver began to hear something crack and break in the Grimm, but it didn't deter him from continuing his one-sided beatdown. Once he stopped, the Cockatrice's body was quite disfigured. Its wings were broken along with its face and the only leg it had was bent in a very unnatural and painful way. Silver decided to put it out of its misery by curb stomping its head into the sand using Gravity to increase the falling force of his foot. The poor Grimm's body finally vanished as Silver walked to the car with a satisfied feeling.

Remus was still playing an unwinnable game of tag with the last two Cockatrices that were on the verge of giving up the chase. Seeing that his enemies were exhausted, Remus ran to one of them and held on tight before activating Checkpoint. With the fire dust crystal, the usual smoke that came after he teleports is replaced with a powerful burst of fire and Remus, being able to control how much smoke he produces, decided to see what would happen if he applied it with dust. He used Checkpoint to teleport away and the burst of fire that came afterwards quickly expanded throughout the area, consuming both Grimm with his Will-O-Wisp. Remus teleported to a random area near the large fire and noticed the dust crystal suddenly shatter into nothingness.

 _"_ _Doing one of that size is only good for one shot huh?"_ he thought.

The Cockatrice he attacked point-blank was burned to cinders, but the other one ran out of the flames with fire burning its body. It ran to Remus in a mad dash to take him down with it, but it never touched him when Silver drove down in the Fantasia and hit the large bird. He ran over it then back up to do it again for good measure. The last Cockatrice was roadkill.

"That was easy," Silver said.

"Made this fetch quest a little more interesting," Remus said before teleporting to the turned over cargo truck.

He walked to the back of the vehicle to see that there was a large hole in trunk, showing something or someone got in. Remus crawled inside while Silver got out of the Fantasia to see if he needed help. When he walked over to the back of the truck, Remus opened what remained of the door from the inside. "There's not a lot here. Maybe someone raided this place."

"Great, sucks for that trader guy, but it kinda works out for us," Silver said to Remus, who didn't understand what he meant by that.

"What do mean? We failed our mission. Most of the stuff is taken," Remus countered, only to see Silver wag his finger back and forth.

"Our mission is to retrieve any goods that were still here. Now that most of the stuff is gone, it'll mean we have less stuff to put in the Fantasia. Mission accomplished," Silver answered with his own spin.

The lack of goods was bad for Fortuna, but easy for them which Remus didn't like. In his mind, he felt like not having all the goods in the truck meant they failed. He knew Silver was saying this to be lazy, but thought some of the goods were better than none of them. It was a pseudo-victory.

The two of them drove back to Fortuna with the remaining crates of cargo in the back. The ride back was nice after a battle and Remus enjoyed Silver's continued commentary about the new seat coolers. He thought it was funny how the gunman compared the seat coolers to the frosty winds of Atlas caressing his groin. It was a nice easy day for them, until something unexpected happened. Because they thought the mission was over, Silver and Remus were completely unaware of two large vehicles driving in their blind sides. The vehicles were large jeeps made from random scrap metal, giving the vehicles an unappealing appearance, but it made up for it with durability.

One of the vehicles rammed into the back of the Fantasia. The unexpected hit knocked the car off its course and Silver had a hard time trying to stop the car from losing control, but that was a hard thing to while driving on sand. The second vehicle hit the Fantasia in the side, causing the car to finally topple over and crash into the sand. Before the Fantasia crashed, Remus quickly took hold of Silver's shoulder and used Checkpoint to teleport both of them out of the car. They landed in the sand near the crash site. The Fantasia had a couple dents and the scratches, but still seemed usable. The crates full of trade goods flung out of car and were scattered all over the ground. One of the vehicles drove up to the two freelancers on the ground. A small window opened up on the side with a machine gun coming out. Remus watched the armored jeep pull out the heavy artillery and widened his eyes when he realized the situation they were in.

"Silver!" he shouted as he grabbed his friend and used Checkpoint to teleport far away from there.

The machine gun fired an endless barrage of bullets in the area Remus and Silver occupied, with the rapid-fire kicking up the sand and making a cloud of sand. Once it finished firing, the truck drove around in search of the freelancers while the other one was parked near the scattered goods. Remus and Silver were ducking behind a sand dune to stay out of sight until they figure out their next move.

"This is crazy! What the hell is going on?!" Silver quietly shouted to Remus so he wouldn't give away their position.

"Perhaps they're desert raiders. Here to take the trading goods from us and it's working. The other truck is probably taking it now," Remus responded in a calm tone so he could think of what to do next.

He realized that if they want to secure the goods, then eliminating the truck attacking them came first. He split Romulus into its dual swords and Silver transformed Fenrir from dual handguns to its sniper rifle form. Silver moved first by coming over the sand dune and firing a shot at the back tire of the armored vehicle that was firing on them earlier, blowing out the tire. Immediately after, Remus used Checkpoint to teleport in front of the truck with his blades glowing blue from the dust flowing through them. When the truck almost hit him, Remus twisted his body to the right to dodge then slashed the truck several times before landing on the ground. The truck's back, machine gun, hood, and the engine were cut to pieces, causing the truck to fall apart with several people falling out.

With the enemies' offense out of commission, Silver moved from the sand dune to take out the other vehicle, but it was already gone. He looked around to find it, but to no avail. Whoever was in that jeep got the trading goods quickly and left without any regard for his or her allies in the other truck. Silver couldn't find the truck in the distance thanks to sudden winds kicking up and covering as a natural smokescreen.

"Perfect," he groaned in annoyance.

He decided to meet up with Remus at the other jeep. If they interrogated the people who were driving the destroyed truck, then they could get a good idea who attacked them. His plan was sound until he saw Remus slitting the people's throats. Silver ran straight to Remus shouting, "What the hell are you doing!?"

He ran up to Remus, ready to knock some sense into him, but stopped when he got a better look at the people on the ground. Silver saw that the ones operating the truck were actually humanoid robots made from scrap metal and spare parts. They looked like the rejected models of the Atlesian sentry bots.

"Oh," was Silver could say. He felt bad for doubting his friend.

"I really, really don't like robots," Remus said in a monotone voice.

"Still?" Silver joked. "Hehehe. At least I know who I'm following when the robots take over. Chill, when we get back home, I'll let you listen to Evergreen's new song."

Silver guessed Remus wasn't happy with such a simple mission being a failure, especially after losing to an unknown enemy. He didn't like it either, but there was nothing they could do, but give Sterling the bad news.

 _"_ _Wait a minute,"_ Silver thought in his head.

 _"_ _Sterling doesn't know about this. If we tell him- scratch that, if I tell him we found nothing, then we'll still get paid… Is it wrong to deceive an old man to take some money from him? Will this weigh on my conscious? …Nah, I'm cool with it,"_ Silver deduced.

"Remus, let me take you back to base. I'll give Sterling the bad news," Silver said feigning sadness.

"…Actually, there's somewhere else I need to go before heading home. Let me grab something first." Remus dragged one of the scrap metal robots he destroyed. Silver wasn't sure what he could do with that except use it for target practice.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Silver returned home with some Lien in his hand. He had no problem telling Sterling everything was gone instead of telling him the truth, showing he was still a rogue despite being with his team. When he entered the base, he saw Violet sitting on the couch with a comic book in her hand and Zelts on his scroll, probably messaging Lily. Seeing as how he left with Remus and came back on his own, Silver knew what was coming up next.

"Silver, where's Remus?" Violet asked like he knew she would. Just like him still being a rogue, Violet was always skeptical of him whenever he left Remus on his own.

"He asked to be dropped off at Onyx's workshop. Said there's something he needed to ask him," Silver answered. He was being partially truthful with his answer. Remus did go see Onyx, but Silver never asked why since Remus said he'll tell him later.

"Hm. All right," Violet said while Silver felt like a teen who just avoided punishment.

"How'd the mission go?" Zelts asked now that his attention was on his team instead of his scroll.

"We got Lien. Enough said," Silver said as he dropped the Lien on the coffee table.

He sat on the living room sofa, turned to his friends, and asked, "What did you guys do today?"

 **Setting: Onyx Workshop**

After Silver dropped Remus off at Onyx's Workshop, Remus dragged the robot's lifeless husk with him into the building. The young faunus wasn't at the front desk, meaning he was in the back room where he loved to tinker. Remus let himself in as he dragged the bucket of bolts. Onyx heard the sound of metal scraping against his metal floor, so he peeked out his door of his tinkering room to see Remus with the robot corpse. In any other context, people would be screaming and running from the sight, but Onyx only said one thing.

"Uh, hey Remus. What's… this?" Onyx asked in slight confusion.

"We were attacked by someone who used some of these robots to drive around and attack us," Remus answered with a serious tone.

"That's… unique," was all the faunus could say.

"I was wondering if you could examine this thing and tell me what you find. Anything helps," Remus requested.

"Sure. Give me a day or two and I'll find out. Why?"

"Just need to find out who's been doing this. I think we might run into them again," Remus answered with a little concern.

 **Setting: Desert Scrapyard**

In a random area in the desert where there were rocks scattered around, there were also tons of scrap metal and junk littering the ground. In the middle of the area was a large stone with several armored vehicles like the ones that attacked Silver and Remus surrounding it. The vehicles were trucks and jeeps created the same way, but each one had a different type of weapon attached. One had large rocket launcher on top while another had flame throwers on the side and that was just two out of a dozen. The only vehicle that was moving was the one entering the rocky scrapyard, the same vehicle that attacked Remus and Silver.

On top of one of the rocks was someone who dropped down to see the contents of the vehicle. The robot driving the armored truck got out and stood there, awaiting orders from the person that approached it. The person that walked up to the machine was the four-armed man, Buff. He didn't respond to the robot as he made his way to the back of the truck to see what it found.

"Alright," Buff said with a grin as he saw the crates full goods that Remus and Silver were supposed to retrieve for Sterling.

"Wait a minute…" Buff looked around for something that was missing, but didn't see it. "Where's the other truck? Don't tell me… Hey Plati, the other truck is missing!"

There was another person on top of one of the rocks and they dropped down to see for themselves. The person was a young woman with scruffy, long, brown hair on her right side that reached to her shoulders and on her left side was some kind of cybernetic metal plate. She wore a brown shirt with the sleeves ripped off and dark green, baggy pants. She had a holster sash wrapped around her chest and she had a robotic right arm that looked similar to the three arms Buff had. She also had metal boots.

"Oh really? That's rare. Think my toys ran into some trouble?" the woman asked.

"Probably. It takes something strong to destroy one of your inventions Platinum," Buff said while curious about what could've happened.

Platinum put her thumb to her mouth and softly bit her nail. She was trying to calm her nerves because she was excited. The idea of someone or something thrashing her own machines was exhilarating. Her heart was pounding and she was starting to sweat from her body temperature rising. Buff saw this and just sighed. This was a usual thing with Platinum and he didn't mind at all. Her passionate side was one of the things he loved about her.

"I want to know," Platinum spoke while breathless. "I want to know what did this and face it myself! I have to! The chance of facing something so strong is making me feel like I'm about to burst!"

"...Once you set your mind on something, you see it through till the end. Fine, I'll help find out what destroyed your car," Buff answered.

Platinum wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It lasted for a brief moment before they parted lips. She smiled at Buff warmly.

"Thank you so much, but I want to be there to see with my own eyes! I have to!" her wild appearance didn't match her cheery demeanor, but Buff didn't mind at all. She was always like this when she wanted something.

"Alright, but where did you send your robots?" Buff asked.

"To a well-known trade route. Maybe if I send my toys to more of trade routes and steal their stuff, then whatever stopped them will come straight to us. This is gonna be hella crazy," Platinum answered with vigor.

"Definitely, but have you built enough robots to do all that?" Buff questioned, which made Platinum snickered.

"Who do think you're talking to?" Platinum said then whistled.

More than two dozen scrap metal robots answered her call and stood before the couple. They all entered each vehicle in groups of two or three. All the vehicles were reeved up except for one that was exclusively for Platinum. It was just like the other vehicles, but it had gun torrents on the side with spikes on the wheels and it had the word 'Platinum' spray painted on the right side.

"Come on Buffy, let's blaze some trails," Platinum said as she entered her truck and Buff happily followed suit.

* * *

 **Platinum is a 25 year old woman with a great fascination for machinery. She enjoys inventing things, specifically weapons, and loves testing them against anything that could destroy them because it challenges her to invent better things. She is both an insane person and a genius and it's very hard to tell the difference.**

 **Buff's three robotic arms were actually created by Platinum when he paid her money for a replacement. However, the original design was just one arm and Platinum wanted to do a little extra out of curiosity. The two have been seeing each other for some time and have some form of a relationship, but neither want to put any labels on it.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Road Rage Part Two**

 **Setting: Concordia**

It has been several days since Remus and Silver's encounter with Platinum's machines and things haven't been easy for the denizens of Fortuna. Platinum has ordered her robots to patrol trade routes, attack any trading vehicles, then raid them in order to draw out the people who destroyed one of her armored vehicles, specifically Team VRSZ. Her actions have been taking a grand toll on Fortuna. Raiding most of the city's exports has caused shortages in resources such as food, dust, and other items necessary for people to make a living. It's gotten so bad that some people have actually decided to leave Fortuna and try to find a less hostile place to call home. The population was steadily decreasing and familiar faces known through the city were beginning to vanish.

This ordeal was particularly hard on Clair, the monarch of Fortuna. If nothing was done, Fortuna would slowly perish and fade from Remnant's history without being a footnote. Her task force has provided security to the trade routes, but each squad was outmatched in firepower against Platinum's armored vehicles and the fact that most of Fortuna's resources are being plundered means they can't eventually match up to them. Even her three retainers were scattered throughout the desert to deal with the matter. It was a vexing situation Clair was in, but she didn't let it bother her all that much. Despite being shorthanded by the loss of resources, she decided to call in her allies and friends with a little more flexibility than her.

"Violet, Remus, Silver, and Zelts, I'm sure you all know why I want to hire you?" Clair asked rhetorically from behind her desk.

"Say no more. You want us to get you tickets to Evergreen's Vacuo Concert too," Silver answered.

"Huh?" Clair responded.

Violet pinched her nose and Zelts sighed, showing this was something that has recently become a recurring thing.

"Evergreen, the famous singer and dancer that's been on the rise. She's pretty good and I can admit that I'm a fan of her songs," Silver answered.

"Really? Now?" Zelts grumbled to himself.

"She's pretty amazing. All of her concerts have been sold out immediately when tickets are on sale. Her last concert was in Atlas, it was called Wintergreen, and it sold out like that," Silver said as he snapped his fingers.

 _"_ _We're on a job. I'm going to kill him,"_ Violet thought while slowly reaching for an Enigma.

Clair was a little perplexed by the sudden change in topic, but didn't let it faze her. In fact, she found Silver to be amusing and she needed this after the trade route raiding ordeal. It calmed her nerves and she was more than happy to enter the one-sided conversation.

"You really like Evergreen, don't you Silver?" she asked with a smile.

 _"_ _Are we seriously talking about this?"_ Violet couldn't believe this was happening.

"She's pretty cool and her songs are amazing. Man, if I could go to one of her concerts," Silver answered.

"Okay, if you guys succeed in your mission, then I'll call Ever and have her invite you backstage," Clair offered.

"You don't have to pay him any-" Violet said to Clair, but was interrupted by Silver.

"You can get me backstage! How?! And you call her Ever?!" he shouted in complete astonishment.

"Of course, Ever and I are old friends. We went to the same singing and dance class when we were younger. We actually dated a few years later, then Evergreen's singing career went off while I had to take over Fortuna after my parents' passing, so our relationship had to end," Clair explained fondly.

"You dated Evergreen? Clair de Lune Vantablack, you are one lucky-" Silver was saying, but Violet put her hand over his mouth to stop this useless chatter.

"Okay, I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say this is about the raiding problem we've been having. You want us to deal with it, but if you want to stop it, then that means all these incidents are connected," Violet stated.

"Sharp as ever. According to the reports from my task force, all of the incidents involved vehicles with robots driving them," Clair stated and it piqued the interest of Remus and Silver.

It reminded them of the mission from a few days ago with the same exact circumstances. Remus had Onyx check one of the robots, but the young Vantablack didn't find anything that could trace the source or the maker. The only thing Onyx could tell Remus was that all the parts were from different machines, meaning the inventor is smart, resourceful, and creative.

"I'm not sure how you'll find the one doing this, but I have full faith in Team VRSZ's capabilities. You've done a lot more with a lot less," Clair said with confidence then asked, "So, you'll accept?"

"Of course, Clair," Violet responded.

"Good, and your payment will be backstage passes to Evergreen's next show. Agreed?" Clair said with a smile.

"Uh, what? No-" Violet asked, but got interrupted by Silver shouting, "YES! THANK YOU!"

Violet and Zelts couldn't believe Silver made them work to see a singer while Remus didn't seem to mind at all. The team left Clair's office in Concordia with their new mission to stop the trade route raiding and the reward was backstage passes. The day was already crummy for Violet because she didn't really care about the singer like Silver, so she was basically working for free. Silver on the other hand, was merrily walking back home while dancing a little.

"How do you plan to deal with this Vi?" Zelts asked as they walked back home. "With the multiple trade routes and inconsistent wave of attacks, it could be hard to find the perpetrator behind it all."

"You're right, which is why we need to divide our numbers and check more than one area," she answered.

"Are you sure that's wise? If we split up, then taking these vehicles down alone might be difficult for either of us. Not to mention only one of us will have Fantasia with them, so chasing them would be out of the question," Zelts stated and Violet knew he was right. His clarity on the situation was a prime example of why she chose him to be second-in-command.

"…Give me ten minutes. I need to make a few phone calls," she responded with her hand on her chin.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

At Fortuna's border, Team VRSZ was there with Fantasia and by their side was Team CLSH. All eight of them were hanging out and biding their time. Violet was going over the plan with Cerise, Hazel was showing Remus how she upgraded her Hive drones, Loden was talking to Zelts about when he could coach her in combat again, and Sapphire and Silver were trading hilarious stories about Ghost. While they happily conversed with one another, a menacing and sleek black car drove up to the two teams. Everyone looked on as the driver stepped out and they saw Clair emerge, radiant as always.

Clair tossed the keys to her car to Violet saying, "And here you go."

"Thank you for lending us your car," Zelts said gratefully.

"If it helps stop the raiding, then I'm more than happy to lend a hand. Just don't scratch it," she answered with a smile, but Zelts took a mental note not to get the car damaged. Clair enjoyed a leisurely walk back to Concordia, feeling relieved that her favorite freelancers were on the job. Violet turned to everyone to explain the missions to them.

 **Setting: Desert**

The Fantasia was ripping through the desert sands. The four individuals riding inside the car were Remus, Silver, Sapphire, and Loden. Their destination was the western area of Fortuna where some of the trades routes were located while Violet, Zelts, Cerise, and Hazel did the same in the eastern area in Clair's car. They plan on scouting those routes because trading vehicles were coming today and the teams were going to see if they could attack any raiders they find then chase them back to their HQ. Silver drove the Fantasia while playing twenty questions with Sapphire to beat the boredom.

"So that's the deal with your hair?" she asked with interest.

"Uh huh, I have naturally spiky hair. If I don't use hair gel, then the black hair won't stay down and it'll get all spiky like my silver side," Silver answered honestly. "Okay, it's my turn to ask something. You guys the strongest ones in the academy? You should be after all the things we put you through."

"Pretty much. There's actually about three dozen of us there, well there was when we started, but some people decided to quit and others were forced to leave," Sapphire explained.

"Why?" Remus asked from the back seat where he sat with Loden.

"The resource shortage has been hard on families and the Bazaar can only supply so much. They left to find a better place to live and the students had no choice in the matter. I don't know how long it'll be before the same is done for Cerise, Hazel, and you Sapphire," Loden answered.

"Not you Loden?" Remus asked curiously.

"My uncle owns the house I live in and delivers resources weekly, so he doesn't know about the situation. It's probably being stolen too since I haven't received any shipments, but I won't be going anywhere anytime soon," she responded calmly.

"That… sucks," Silver said, feeling down about the possible end of Team CLSH. It gave him a good reason to try to find the raiders, besides backstage passes to Evergreen's next concert.

After driving to two trade routes and finding nothing, Silver finally found one where the truck, carrying the goods meant for Fortuna, was currently being attacked by an armored truck with salvos of large missiles on the sides and some kind of large gun on top being operated by a robot.

"We hit the jackpot guys. Attack, but don't go nuts. We have to tail them," Silver told the others before they sprang into action.

Remus placed his hands on Sapphire and Loden then used Checkpoint to teleport all three of them high above the truck to attack undetected. Sapphire shot out her Spinneret cables to wrap around and grab the robot on top. She reeled her arm to fling the robot towards them and Remus used Romulus in doubled-bladed spear form to impale its torso then slice through the chest. Loden landed first with World Splitter by dive bombing the large gun torrent and slicing it down in two swings with her lance.

The robot driving the vehicle reacted by trying to fight back. It backed away from the trading transport while the three fighters were standing on top the car, trying to figure out how to attack the armored truck without destroying it. Sapphire lodged the end of her cables in her left hand into the hood of the truck and swung around in the air. With the distance she created, Sapphire used her free hand to swipe her cables at the windows, breaking them all once she hit them all. The robot, being a robot, was unfazed and pressed a button on the dashboard. Two missiles fired off in front of the truck then turned around toward Sapphire while she returned to the roof of the car with everyone else.

Silver guessed the missiles were heat seekers, so he launched one of his own from Fantasia's salvo. He fired one missile, though it was much smaller than the ones on the truck, it was much faster and it reached one of the missiles before it reached the others. Fantasia's missile collides with the back of one of the robot's missies and they exploded, leaving only one for the others to deal with.

Remus used Checkpoint to teleport directly into the missile's path and swerved his body so he wouldn't get hit by it. When the missile flew by, he placed his hand on its side and he used Checkpoint to teleport himself and the missile away from the battle. Loden used this time to slash off the salvos with the remaining missiles, leaving the armored truck and robot defenseless. An explosion was seen in the distance then Remus used Checkpoint to return to the top of the truck uninjured. He and Sapphire made sure not to damage the armored truck so it could still lead them to its base as they attacked it. Scratches were being made and pieces of metal were falling of the truck. The robot drove the truck around in circles to try to knock them all off, but they were hanging on thanks to Sapphire wrapping her cables around the vehicle and letting Remus and Loden hang on to her.

Silver was impatiently waiting for the enemy to retreat, but he's been watching it do donuts for ten minutes with no end in sight. He was wondering why the truck was still here despite being on the receiving end of a three-person beating. Any other person would run away, but that's when Silver realized this wasn't like any other person, this was a robot.

 _"_ _It's probably programmed to do certain things; defend itself, steal the goods, return once goods are obtained. It's not going to do anything else,"_ Silver thought.

He pulled out his scroll, typed a few things, put it away, then watched what happened next. While Remus was stabbing the top of the truck and holding onto Sapphire until he heard the chime of his scroll. Remus absent-mindedly let go of Sapphire to check it, but removing his hold on Sapphire's jean jacket while the truck was ferociously spinning around flung him off the vehicle. He landed harshly on the ground, but the sandy terrain didn't hurt him much. Remus pulled out his scroll to see that he received a message from Silver and read it.

 _"_ _Stop attacking and let the robot steal the goods. We'll follow it to its base, then kick ass there."_

After reading the text Remus used Checkpoint to teleport back on top of the armored, but only for a second to tag Loden and Sapphire to teleport them next to the Fantasia. The girls were confused about why Remus did this, but Silver explained the plan to them so they all got back in the car to observe. With the three of them no longer attacking the vehicle, robot turned off its defensive protocols and resumed its original task of obtaining the stolen goods from the trading transport that still lied in the sand. Loading all the goods into the back, the robot climbed back into the driver's seat and drove away with Silver tailing behind.

The drive was long and uneventful as they continued to follow the banged-up truck. The four had to make up their own fun until they reached their destination. Sapphire used Masquerade to look just like Remus and they goofed of in the back. She was trying to copy his mannerisms too in order to dupe everyone.

"Hey everyone, I'm Remus Cobalt. Gotta go fast!" Sapphire said while looking and sounding like Remus.

The real Remus laughed saying, "Ahahaha! That's not my catchphrase!"

"Ah man, I should know this. Don't tell me what it is! I'll figure it out," she said then muttered to herself to figure it out.

Loden was silent the whole ride because she was thinking about their predicament and what to do once they get there. Once thought came to mind and she had to ask about it. "Should we tell the others about where we're going?"

"Right now might not be a good time since we don't know where we're going," Silver answered while keeping his eyes on the truck as he drove. "Once stop, I'll call them to let the others know. I'm sure they didn't find anything on their scouting mission. It'll be an easy day for them."

 **Setting: Desert**

Two armored trucks were driving through the desert, circling Cerise and Zelts, who were standing in the middle. One of the vehicles moved in to run them over. The front of this armored truck was equipped with a large, metal, battering ram that it was going to use run over both of them. Zelts put his Heart of Gold up and poured his aura into it to increase its defense, causing the shield to glow gold. He stared the large truck down without blinking or flinching, waiting for his adversary to collide with him, but it never happened. Before the truck could connect, Cerise used Shield to create a force field in the shape of a giant wall in front of Zelts. The truck crashed in front of Zelts and it was totaled. Zelts was completely caught off guard by Cerise's initiative.

He turned around to see the serious look on her face and he cracked a small smile. "You might put me out of business with that," he said jokingly and she grinned.

The other armored truck had laser cannons on top and it was in a battle with Hazel's Hive drones that were flying around it. The lasers of the drones weren't as powerful as the truck's, but they were gradually doing damage and the drones themselves were moving fast enough to dodge the vehicle's more powerful firepower. The drones were hitting around the truck, but the armor was too strong, so the laser blast only dented it. The battle was very straightforward and showed no sign of a winner, but unlike the robot designed to defend itself, Hazel, sitting in Fantasia as she commanded her drones, was aware of that. She only had her drones preoccupy the enemy while Violet attacked it.

Violet used her semblance to remain unseen as she jumped onto the truck when it drove close enough. She used the gravity dust in one of her Enigmas to manipulate her center of gravity to keep herself from falling over. She kept that throwing knife in her mouth while she pulled out her kukris. She activated the ice dust in their hilts and used them to form ice blades from her knives like she usually does, but this time, she brought the blades together, holding the hilts together with both hands. This action caused the ice to come together and transform from dual swords to one large, frozen, greatsword. She wielded it with a difficulty at first, but she eventually managed to swing it at the laser cannon on top of the truck. It was her first time with such a large weapon, so when she slammed the frozen greatsword onto the cannon, it wasn't slashed in half, but smashed beyond repair with the ice breaking apart after a single hit. Violet made a mental note to keeping improvising and practicing with her kukris. There was more potential in them than she realized.

Now that the truck was defenseless, Hazel called off her drones and Violet jumped off the vehicle to return to the car. Cerise and Zelts did the same as they watched the robot exit the vehicle. Violet came up with the same idea Silver had, but came up with it before making contact with the enemy. Silver's group just happened to find the enemy before them. Her group just waited for the machine to do its dirty work then they would tail it.

 **Setting: Desert Scrapyard**

Platinum was sitting on top an earthy spire with her eyes closed. The metal cybernetic plating permanently attached to her skull and brain was flashing and she opened her eyes wide. She flashed a mad person's smile before jumping of the fifteen-foot rock. She landed in the sand with a loud thump from hitting the ground, but she was unfazed and her smile didn't disappear. She ran to her personal armored truck where Buff was sleeping in the driver's seat.

"They're here!" she shouted as she slammed her body against the door.

"GAAAHHHH! What is happening?!" he shouted in shock.

"The thing that took down my toys is coming! Two of my creations went offline, so something must've happened to them." Platinum's face was pressed against the window and she was starting to drool.

"…Oh good," he said as he sat himself up. "So, what are you… Hm?" Buff noticed one of the armored trucks entering the vicinity.

It was the one that Silver and the others attacked and they drove in behind it. In the Fantasia was Silver, Remus, Loden, and for some reason, one of Platinum's robots were in the back seat with Remus instead of Sapphire. Platinum noticed it too and ran down to greet them. She ignored her vehicle and sprinted to the Fantasia with her abnormal grin. She leaned against the side of the car like she was a long-lost friend.

"Hey there," she said in an oddly friendly tone that none of them were expecting.

It threw Silver and Loden off, but Remus was never one to understand social norms or situations so he responded like it was normal.

"Hello. Are you the one sending machines after the trade routes?" he asked casually.

Silver facepalmed himself in the head and Loden looked at her senior questioningly. The machine in the back just remained motionless. The gunman couldn't believe his partner asked that like the enemy would just answer because he asked.

"Yeah that's me!" Platinum answered with a smile.

"Wha- the… That's it?" Silver wondered. "Why did you answer him?" he asked Platinum.

She looked at him like he was the insane one and answered, "Because he asked. Duh."

"I, ah, yo-… Forget it. Just forget it," Silver said, completely befuddled.

He concluded this person wasn't in her right mind and seeing the metal plating on her head solidified his deduction.

"So, what are you trying to accomplish with taking that stuff?" Loden asked to take the mental pressure off of Silver whose brain was beginning to fume.

"Oh. Well, the first time I did it, it was out of boredom, but when someone, I'm guessing you guys, destroyed them, I had to find out who was doing it. For someone to completely destroy one of my toys… hmm… it makes me excited at… the thought of…" Platinum was gasping and squirming as she spoke and it creeped them out. Her face was flushed as she continued.

"Ah! Every time someone destroys my toys, I have to think of ways to make better ones. I have to get imaginative and… force myself to think outside the box in order to make something… ah, wonderful! And when I bring it to life, it takes me over the edge and I boil over!" Platinum let out a large breath as her was beet red once she finished talking.

Everyone there was weirded out by her, even Remus was looking at her like she was insane. Outside the conversation, Buff watched from the seat of Platinum's truck, looking in anger at the people she was talking to. His rage toward VRSZ and CLSH still burned within. He scanned the dashboard and looked at the assortment of weapons he could fire; missiles, flame throwers, ion laser cannon, and assault rifles only to name a few. He wanted to kill them all with the press of a button, but he couldn't with his partner down there, no matter how tempting it was.

"Okay, now that you got us, what happens next?" Silver asked while also reaching for one of Fenrir in its holster. Remus gripped Romulus firmly in his lap.

Platinum only continued to smile before she answered his question. "I'm going to fight you guys of course. How can I test the limits of my toys unless they fight you all-out? See," Platinum pointed one finger to the cyber plating on her head. "While we've been talking, I've ordered all my toys to come back here so we can have a battle royale. Isn't that exciting?!"

"No. And since we're here to put you away, what's stopping us from taking you down now?" Silver asked rhetorically as he pulled out one of Fenrir from his holster. Remus did the same with Romulus.

Even with the barrel of a gun a few inches away from her face, Platinum's smile didn't give way. The circuitry in her metal plating was going off as they responded to her mental commands. Inside her personal armored vehicle, buttons were being pressed on their own and Buff realized Platinum was ready to fight. Above the vehicle, a small launcher with grappling hooks. They automatically fired and the hooks reached where everyone was located. One hook opened to held onto Romulus and snatched it out of Remus' hands. Two more hooks came, one grabbing Fenrir from Silver's hand and the other grabbing Silver's holster strapped to his chest with the other gun and yanked them both from his person.

Platinum jumped away from them, but the great distance and height she created from just an idle jump was beyond human. While she was in the air, she operated one of her other vehicles to use their weapons. She had a jeep with laser cannons equipped to it fire several blasts at them while they were still in the car. Silver immediately shifted the car to drive in reverse and he stomped on the gas, driving the Fantasia out of the area while dodging the laser blasts. It was very difficult to drive here because Silver kept running over and bumping into large chunks of junk and run over pieces of metal. It was difficult, but he managed to get away from the repeated laser fire by the skin of his teeth.

Loden was tired of running and jumped out the car to fight back, but Platinum, on the ground and walking to her truck, mentally commanded the last grappling hook to launch and take Loden's World Splitter. Loden, with Panorama, was able to see it coming and side stepped out of the way and used her lance to cut the wire connecting the grappling hook. She was able to see through the sneak attack just like she's able to see the lasers from the other vehicle aimed right at her, but Silver was ready to put their sneak attack in motion.

"Do it Remus!" he shouted.

Buff looked over, but Remus sat in the car doing nothing. He was confused if he was refusing to act, but that thought changed when he saw the vehicle behind him blow up. Platinum looked over to see not only her jeep destroyed and set ablaze, but she saw another Remus standing on top of it with Romulus as a railgun in one hand and everyone else's weapons in the other. He glanced at Buff in Platinum's car with a questioning look. It infuriated Buff cause he knew exactly what the young freelancer was going to say next.

"Who are you?" Remus asked and Buff was livid. He drove the large, armored truck and tried to run Remus over, but the freelancer teleported away and kept his distance.

Platinum looked at the Remus in the car and that one jumped out then used Spinnerets to wrap the cables around metal junk on the ground then flung them at Platinum. The insane mechanic smile got even bigger as she easily punched the oncoming metal to scrap.

"Oh Yeah! I'm Remus! Bow Chika Bow Wow!" the Remus with Spinnerets proclaimed with a smirk.

"Don't ever say that with Remus' face and voice ever again!" Silver shouted as he drove by. "It's just wrong. Now come on!" he said as he drove away.

The Remus with Spinnerets put his hand to his face and his appearance changed to Sapphire with a smirk of her own. As Silver drove the Fantasia out of the area, she used her cables wrap and snag the broken robot in the back and tossed it at Platinum's truck. It crashed into the windshield and cracked it, fazing Buff but exciting Platinum.

Sapphire used her cables to reach out and grab onto the back of the Fantasia and reeled herself in before Silver left the area for Remus and Loden to deal with Platinum. When she retracted her cables and reached the car, she sat in the passenger seat with Silver.

"Why are we leaving the others?" Sapphire asked Silver as he drove away.

"We're not. We just need to get out of range so we can contact the others. If what that psycho said was true, then all her cars will come and we'll have a real fight on her hands. We'll need everyone here." Silver answered as he pulled out his scroll.

"Breaker, breaker," Silver said jokingly and Sapphire looked at him like he was stupid. "This is Silver Synch of the western brigade contacting the Violent Flower of the east. We have engaged the enemy and will soon be outnumbered. We have horseflies over our cattle. I repeat, horseflies over our cattle. Do you copy?" Silver said in his scroll, but received no response.

"What was that?" Sapphire asked.

"Trucker talk. Violet and the others will follow the signal from my scroll and be on their way simpl-" Silver stopped when he checked his surroundings. There were six more vehicles driven by robots waiting for them outside the rocky area. He and Sapphire felt they were screwed.

Back in the desert scrapyard, Platinum got on top of her truck while it fired rockets, bullets, and fired flames at Remus and Loden who dodged, ran, and got out of the line of sight. She stepped on the roof while Buff drove and unleashed hell on the two warriors before him. She was feeling the rush again as the battle began. She could hardly take it.

"This is the best! Nothing else beats this feeling! More! More! I want more!" she shouted from the roof as Buff tried to run Loden and Remus over.

Platinum could only use one word to describe what she was feeling; Orgasmic.

* * *

 **The catchphrases Sapphire said when she was Remus were used by other characters; "Gotta go fast" belongs to Sonic the Hedgehog and "Bow Chika Bow Wow" was Tucker's from Red vs Blue.**

 **Platinum hails from Atlas. She was a test subject for an Atlas experiment to merge humans with technology. It resulted in Platinum's brain having cybernetic implants, giving her great insight in technology, but scrambling her sanity which is very apparent. She is also able to create machines that respond to her cybernetic implants via telepathic command and knows whenever they're destroyed or go offline. She also gets off whenever she's faced with a challenge.**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Halloween is coming and thought of a fun activity around it. I want to know from you guys what costumes any of the characters would wear. Just think of what best fits them and submit it in the review.**

 **I also want to congratulate a milestone in the VRSZ series. Every volume of Team VRSZ has officially surpassed over a thousand views. I'm so happy to know so many people have enjoyed my OC series and there is still more to come. Also happy that RWBY Volume 5 is finally out.**

* * *

 **Chapter 30: Road Rage Part Three**

 **Setting: Outside Scrapyard**

Three missiles were fired and were heading toward Remus and Loden. Remus used Checkpoint to teleport in next to one of them and teleport again, in the air with himself and the missile facing Platinum, Buff, and her truck. Buff stuck his body out the window and fired laser blasts from the palms of his three mechanical arms at the incoming projectile. This action destroyed the missile before it reached him or his partner who was reveling in the battle. The explosion propelled Remus forward in the air, but left him barely harmed. Loden pierced the ground with World Splitter then swung it to her left, creating a large, thick wall of stone to defend herself against the remaining two missiles. It succeeded in protecting her, but the impact and explosion completely destroyed Loden wall while also knocking her back a couple feet till she crashed into a large piece of scrap metal lying on the ground. She got back up right when Buff fired another laser blast at her. Loden saw it all coming with her Panorama, including Remus using Checkpoint to teleport himself to her location and teleport again to get them out of harm's way.

"Dammit!" Buff shouted as he slammed his fist against the dashboard. "Where is he?"

"Hey!" Platinum yelled from on top of the truck. "Don't damage my toy!"

She looked down until she heard the sound of feet hitting metal. She saw Loden standing before her in a fighting stance with blue smoke vanishing around her. Platinum licked her lips, ready to face the young girl in battle. Two blades shot out from her robotic metal arm and she got in a fighting stance of her own.

Outside Platinum's scrapyard, Silver was driving for his life as he avoided bullets, fire balls, and more from Platinum's legion of vehicles being operated by her scrap metal robots. He didn't get out of this unscathed as some of the enemy's attack did hit them, leaving mostly bullet holes and scorch marks on the silver sports car.

Sapphire ducked her head in the back at first, but she wasn't the type to remain on the run, so she jumped out of the Fantasia. She wrapped her Spinneret cables onto one of the enemy vehicles and pulled herself in while avoiding most of the incoming firepower through sheer luck. She landed on top of an armored jeep that was shooting fire balls at the Fantasia. She used all the cables in her Spinnerets onto the large cannon shooting them then ripped it off the vehicle by lifting it with all her might. She jumped in the air while all her cables were still holding the large cannon and swung them into another vehicle, destroying one with machine guns attached to its sides. The jeep's driver's seat and upper half was crushed and Sapphire retracted her cables and went to another vehicle do take them out. Her action didn't last because one car fired a massive shard of ice from its cannon full of ice dust. Sapphire was hit in her right side, taking out a considerable amount of her aura and knocking her into the sand.

Silver stopped driving when he saw Sapphire fall to the ground and tried to go rescue her, but the nonstop rapid-fire from the jeep with the assault rifle forced him to keep driving away to avoid being hit, preventing him from reaching Sapphire unless he wanted himself and the car to be riddled with holes. Sapphire was deterred, but she got up from the desert sand, quick enough to see a truck and a jeep try to run her over. She got up to try and muster some kind of resistance, but fortunately for her, she didn't have to.

Out of nowhere, a powerful sandstorm hit the vehicles strong enough blow them away and topple them over. Cherry bombs were thrown at capsized vehicles and they were engulfed then destroyed in fiery explosions. Before Sapphire could properly react, a Hive drone swooped down before her, latched itself onto her back, and flew her high into the sky above the other vehicles. She landed in front of Clair's black car where she saw Zelts, Cerise, Hazel, and Violet.

"Huh? You guys are here?" Sapphire asked in confusion.

"We got Silver's call, as stupid as it was," Violet answered while holding out her own scroll. "Zelts."

Zelts knew what Violet wanted and swung his wingblades, creating a massive gale of green wind heading toward the remaining four vehicles. The wind was strong enough to push them all away thanks to the loose foundation they were all on. It prevented the robots from attacking, giving Silver time to drive around it all to rendezvous with the others.

"Hey boss. Glad you got my message," Silver said with his usual charm, but he was honestly glad to see them.

The vehicles were getting ready to strike back, so Zelts, who was keeping his eye on them, moved forward to combat them. Cerise joined him and Hazel commanded her drones to attack from above. Sapphire leaned against the car to recover while Violet and Silver talked.

"We were already on our way before I got your message. It was solely luck that we made it in time. Such are the whims of Fortuna. Now, where are the others?" Violet asked.

"Over there, fighting the big bad." Silver pointed to the rocky area where they could see the explosions and hear the sound of bullets being fired.

"Alright, I'm going," Violet declared. "You've been through enough. Stay here and support everyone else?" she told Silver before running over to Platinum's scrapyard where Loden and Remus were holding their ground against the brains of the operation.

She left and Silver activated Gravity to reduce its effect on his body then jumped in the air. He levitated to where the battle against the machines was taking place. He levitated in the air using the force of his jump to propel toward the battle since he still didn't have a complete handle on moving on his own when levitating. He made up for this by switching the ammo in Fenrir with bullets filled with fire dust. He positioned both his guns behind him and fired, creating explosions with each shot that pushed him forward in the sky until he was above his teammate who created a powerful gust of wind to redirect a missile that was sent his way.

"Hey Zelts!" Silver said to get his attention and it worked. "Starfall!"

Zelts spun his wingblades around to cloak himself in wind and fly upward to Silver's location. When he reached his friend, Silver grabbed him by the jacket and used Gravity to increase Zelts' mass then hurled him at the jeep firing missiles at Cerise while she protected herself with her force field. The robot driving the vehicle fired a missile in Zelts' direction, but he already had his shield up in front of him. When the two collided, the missile exploded, but Zelts went right through barely injured and torpedoed right for the jeep. He crashed into it and destroyed the vehicle in one blow, ripping through it as he hit the ground then quickly split his shield so he could create a tornado underneath it. The windstorm lifted the broken vehicle in the air so it could explode with no casualties.

"Three more to go," Zelts said.

 **Setting: Scrapyard**

Buff was in Platinum's personal armored truck, trying to run over Remus who was toying with him. Remus was purposely running away in order to keep Buff's attention on him instead of Loden, who was on top of the vehicle while battling Platinum. Remus thought he was doing a good job, but wondered why the four-armed person was so fixated on killing him. Inside the truck, Buff was seeing red with thoughts of killing a member of Team VRSZ, the team that no matter how many times he encounters, they would never remember him. He forgot all about the others on the roof and tried to turn Remus into roadkill.

On top on the truck, Loden swung World Splitter at Platinum, but she parried with her arm blade. They were in a deadlock until Platinum moved her hand in front of Loden's face while their weapons were locked. Her metal hand transformed into some sort of laser gun and was charging. Loden quickly tried to back away, but the speed of the laser fire was too fast and blasted the side of her face, forcing her to back away in pain and keep her left eye closed due to the pain.

Platinum chuckled as she changed her laser back into a hand, saying, "It's also a gun!" before moving in with her two-bladed arm, attacking Loden in her blind side.

Loden quickly brought her lance to block even though she couldn't see out of her eye. She would never explain her semblance to an enemy, but Loden's Panorama grants her 360-degree vision all the time, even if she can see with just one eye. The only time she wouldn't be able to see would be when she blinked or closed her eyes. She got her lance between the blades then twirled it around, forcing Platinum's arm to twist over and leaving her vulnerable. Loden tried to elbow her in the back of the head, but Platinum changed her metal arm into a large mechanical whip that wrapped around Loden's weapon arm, changing the tide of battle in an instant.

She had her tentacle-like appendage wrapped around Loden's World Splitter, but Loden didn't let that stop her as she tried to kick Platinum, who brought her knee up to block the hit. Loden felt pain ringing through her leg from the impact and wondered why it hurt so much. Platinum used this moment to bring her leg up and kick Loden in the face, but Loden backed away in time. However, when Platinum's metal boot was still in her face, sole of the boot started to heat up then blasted fire at Loden with tremendous force, knocking her off the moving vehicle and breaking her aura when she crash landed on a large piece of broken machinery on the ground. The burning flames coming from her feet blasted her pants, burning and scorching through the legs of it, turning her pants into burnt shorts. This action revealed Platinum wasn't wearing metal boots, but rather both her legs up to her thighs were metal, just like her arm. She appeared more machine than human.

While Remus was running ahead of Buff and the giant, metal, death trap, he made sure to keep his eye on Loden to make sure the weapons didn't target her. He took his eyes off her every now and then to make sure he didn't crash into any random debris. He wasn't watching when Loden was blasted off, so he was surprised when he looked over to see Platinum as the last woman standing. He quickly stopped in his tracks and faced the vehicle head-on. Buff hit the gas tried to run him over, but Remus teleported away using Checkpoint, creating a fog of blue smoke instead his usual puff. It blanketed the area in front of Buff and he drove through it blind. He felt the truck run over random objects on the ground, but heard no bone crunching. Platinum was in the thick of the blue cloud as well, unable to see anything until Buff finally drove through it. When the fog cleared, Platinum noticed there was something different about the roof of her car. All the weapons were gone, sliced off the vehicle and laying in the desert sand. The only thing left on top were Platinum and her new opponent, Remus Cobalt.

Platinum smiled at Remus then looked at Romulus in dual blade form with amazement. She loved the blue glow the blades had and already analyzed that it was dust being transformed into energy that increased the sharpness of the blades, allowing it to slice through her toys with such ease. Her body was burning and twitching with excitement.

"Ahh… I'm having a serious case of weapon envy," she said before bring out the giant whip in her metal arm. She cracked her whip at him, but Remus dodged it then he moved closer to her. He sliced of the whip with his blades and the trail of cobalt blue light that followed the movement of the blades, making Remus' style seem almost artistic and Platinum loved it.

"Amazing! Are there any more like you?" she asked, but Remus didn't speak to her.

Platinum used the fire dust in the metal feet to create an explosion that rocketed her in the air, away from Remus. He jumped to follow her, but her feet were still shooting out flames, so he couldn't get close unless he used Checkpoint, but he didn't need to. Three Enigmas hit Platinum in the back and covered her back in ice. She was surprised by this and the unexpected attack caused her to stop creating fire, giving Remus the chance he needed. With two quick swings, her sliced off the Platinum's feet, leaving her without anything to keep her airborne. She fell to the ground and was unable to stand anymore. Remus used Checkpoint to teleport next to her and cut off her mechanical hand to prevent any mischief.

"Thank you, Violet," he said to himself as he watched the truck turn around.

Buff turned the truck around to try and attack Remus while finding a way to save Platinum, but his attempt was short lived because the ground exploded next to the car. He was confused and it only got worse as he pressed on. Fiery explosions, bursts of lightning, and spires of ice and stone were forming all around him until a stone spire punctured the back-right tire of the vehicle. Violet was able to enter the scrapyard undetected and was given enough time to lay traps and surprise attacks for both of them. Buff unknowingly drove straight into Violet's Flower Garden. It spun out of control until Loden stood before it, battered but she was still standing and unyielding. She dragged World Splitter across the ground and created a large stone ramp that led to nowhere but the air. Buff and the truck rode the slope and were in high in the air with Loden beneath it. Next to Loden, Violet deactivated Invisibility and appeared by the young girl's side before throwing seven Enigmas with fire dust beneath the truck. The combined force of the fire Enigmas created a massive explosion that consumed the truck, destroying it and leaving nothing but scraps. Buff fell from the explosion, aura shattered, metal arms destroyed, covered in burns, and completely unconscious. He hit the ground hard and wasn't moving as pieces of the truck fell around him.

Platinum looked at the events unfold and she could only smile, smile at the destruction of her toy. It reminded her that there were people, things, unknown variables that could topple anything she could create and the challenge of pushing her brilliance only thrilled her. She didn't care that her vehicles were destroyed, she didn't care that her limbs were cut off, nor did she care in the slightest that Buff was severely hurt. It meant nothing to her as long as she could make more inventions, more toys that are better than the last. Even in defeat, Platinum was in complete bliss.

Outside of Platinum's scrapyard, Zelts and the others were finishing the last remaining vehicle. Hazel had her drones blast the windshield open, but it didn't faze the robot, but it gave Silver the shot he needed to blast a hole in the machine's head with Fenrir as a sniper rifle. Cerise used Shield to create force filed sphere around herself and Sapphire wrapped her cables around it. She swung Cerise like a wrecking ball into the vehicle and the force of the impact crushed the car so it was no longer a threat.

Cerise and her teammates collapsed to the ground feeling completely exhausted. This mission and the battle took a lot out of them. They weren't the only ones feeling tired as Silver fell down into the sand. Zelts looked down at him with an amused look.

"Wow. This mission must've been something if you had to put in this amount of effort," Zelts joked to Silver who smirked.

"It's been a rough one, but hey, we did it. At least on our side, better check on the-" Silver was interrupted by Remus teleporting between them.

He was accompanied by Violet and Loden along with an unconscious Buff and enamored Platinum.

"Everything good on your end?" Violet asked sarcastically.

"About to ask you the same thing," Silver countered. "You know what this means?"

"Fortuna will finally get its resources back," Remus answered, but Silver shook his head.

"Our team won't be separated?" Cerise asked, but Silver still shook his head.

"We have to go back, get the Fantasia, and pay Onyx to repair it," Violet answered in an exasperated tone. Fixing the car always took a toll on their finances.

"No. We get to see Evergreen!" Silver answered with enthusiasm.

"Dammit, I forgot about that," Violet answered, feeling worse that weren't going to get paid. She also remembered that she had to pay Team CLSH for their assistance.

"Don't worry girls," Violet said addressing the younger team. "We'll pay you in cash for helping us. It's the least we could do after putting you through all this."

"Thanks, but you don't have to worry about us. This was fun," Cerise said.

"Yeah, fighting cars and machines were a blast," Sapphire said with an amused look.

"It's always worthwhile fighting beside all of you," Loden answered.

"…We're still getting paid, right?" Cerise asked boldly.

"Violet chuckled before saying, "Yes. We will pay you."

 **Setting: Fortuna**

The two teams drove back to Fortuna as a two-car team. Clair's car was driving in front while the Fantasia was lagging behind, but not because Silver wanted to. The damage the car received in the battle was quite extensive, so driving at top speed wasn't an option for him. The ride back may have been long, but it was pleasant after a job well done. Zelts offered to take the wheel of Clair's car and drive back and Violet used her free hands to call Clair to tell her the good news. The monarch informed her that she'll be waiting for them in front of the city. They finally made it back home, where they noticed Clair was there with a truck beside her. Both teams were really tired of vehicles and didn't want anything to do with them for a long time.

"Hello everyone," Clair said with a smile, knowing that they completed their mission. "How did your venture fair?"

"Great results. No more plundering," Cerise answered, feeling proud that she helped her seniors once again.

"That's not one of your task force vehicles. Is it?" Zelts questioned Clair as he looked at the small, prisoner's truck with the two men exiting the vehicle.

Clair shook her head. "No, this is a prisoner envoy from the kingdom of Vacuo. They're here to take away the ones responsible for this mess. Where are they?"

"Give us a second," Silver said as he opened the trunk of the Fantasia.

Loden did the same with Clair's car. Silver reached inside and pulled out an unconscious Buff from the back of the car. He dragged him carelessly through the sand then tossed him to the feet of Vacuo officers. "He's all yours," Silver said.

Loden was more caring with hers as she picked up then carried her to the men. Unlike Buff, Platinum was conscious and she wrapped her arms around Loden like she was a princess being carried to happily ever after. She pushed Loden past her patience when she reached up and kissed her cheek and the green-haired warrior dropped her on the ground.

"Oh, am I going on a trip?" Platinum asked with her smile never leaving. Whether the young woman was aware of the situation was unknown to everyone but her.

The men from Vacuo put Buff and Platinum in the back of their police station wagon and drove away. One man got in the driver's seat while the other looked to Clair and thanked her for apprehending them. As they drove away, Cerise had one question she wanted answered.

"Vacuo knew about what was happening in Fortuna, but they only came to take the culprits away. Why didn't they help us before?"

"The kingdom didn't care about our situation," Clair stated honestly.

"In fact, the higher-ups in the kingdom would've been overjoyed to hear Fortuna was no more. The city's development has grown at such a rate that it could rival the kingdom, which makes the kingdom look bad in comparison, so our destruction at the hands of some rouges would've been a blessing to them." Her statement surprised several of them.

"That is not what I expected from one of the four kingdoms," Hazel said astonished.

"You'd be surprised by the true agenda of bureaucrats," Violet stated. "They keep Fortuna as an ally just to keep tabs on us. Isn't that right, Clair?"

"Unfortunately, you are correct. Not everyone wants to get along with those they dislike, but we're all here, we can't ignore them if they become something we can't control. Same goes for Vacuo's view of Fortuna, a place with a stable form of government that the kingdom itself couldn't maintain. They're just waiting for us to die out. That's how life works in Vacuo, if you can survive here, then you're welcomed here. No one will show sympathy or remorse if you die." Clair's words echoed to everyone. It brought down the mood because no matter how grim it sounded, it was true, that was life in Vacuo.

"But don't worry about it. I'm actually happy that Vacuo sees my home as a threat. It means they recognize our position and we'll eventually have the recognition of the world on us," Clair said, feeling satisfied with the results of today. She was proud that the looting was over and Fortuna was on Vacuo's mind. It was a satisfying ending.

"Oh! I got it! I got it!" Sapphire shouted unexpectedly.

Everyone looked at her then watched her put her hand over her face to activate Masquerade. She changed into Remus and spoke with his voice.

"Boom! I'm Remus! Out with a Yang!" she said and waited for their responses.

Remus laughed at Sapphire's poor imitation. "That's not it! I say Level Up Sapphire," he answered while laughing.

"I don't even know who says that?" Silver answered after hearing all of Sapphire's attempts today. Clair approached him with a grin on her face.

"And or a job well done, you will be meeting Evergreen at her next concert," she told him and Silver was ecstatic.

He activated Gravity and leaped sixty feet in the air and shouted, "YEEEEESSSSSS!"

Violet rolled her eyes, but was amused by Silver's display of happiness. He was an idiot, but he was one of her boys and she enjoyed it whenever he was happy. She deemed today's mission a success and a happy ending.

 **Setting: Desert**

The day was almost done as the sun settled on the horizon, giving the sky a beautiful orange glow. The prison wagon was driving through the desert, transporting its passengers to Vacuo to await judgement. Platinum was sitting in the back, swaying her head back and forth like she was listening to her favorite song. Buff was strapped in, but he still wasn't moving and Platinum saw how defeated he was. Her smile finally went away when she looked at him with disdain. Seeing him beaten like this was a turn off for her.

Out of nowhere, the transport vehicle was struck by something hard and it toppled over. Platinum wasn't sure what hit them, but it was hard to tell while her side of the vehicle was on the ground. The only thing she could do was listen at the sound of the Vacuo officers struggle to get out of the car only for to hear them battle someone, but were killed or defeated moments later. The next thing she heard were footsteps walking above her. Platinum didn't have to hear anything else because a giant spear pierced through the truck, with Buff lucky enough to be several inches away from the massive weapon.

A pair of hands poked out of the hole then grabbed both sides of pulled them apart to make the hole bigger. The person on the other side was Alexandrite with her eyes in a dazzling red shade. She jumped into the vehicle and landed above Platinum, standing above her like she was a goddess and Platinum was perfectly fine with that. She could sense Alexandrite's raw power and it excited her. It was more exhilarating than her earlier fight. Someone else fell through the hole and landed next to Alexandrite. That person was Grayson.

"So, you're the one who was causing a stir?" he asked Platinum as he looked down on her. He noticed the metal appendages and how they were damaged. "You don't seem like much, but if you're someone that the kingdom of Vacuo has to go out of their way for to capture, then you must be worth something. Your name?"

"Platinum," she answered with her smile returning.

"Want to roll with us? We could use some tech support or whatever… what about him?" Grayson asked, pointing his thumb toward Buff who was just dangling above.

Platinum looked at him with a smile along with a blank stare before saying, "What about him?" she said as her answer.

The three of them got out of the destroyed truck, abandoned Buff, and got on Grayson's dust-cycle with Alexandrite carrying Platinum on her back while she sat behind Grayson. They drove off to take Platinum to their safe haven, increasing their ranks and making things more difficult for Team VRSZ in the future.

* * *

 **Sadly, t** **his the end of Buff. That explosion was too much for him to handle. He was barely alive after the battle and the poor treatment he received from the team afterwards only made it worse. Platinum abandoning him after she lost interest was the last straw. The Vacuo guards were killed, so no one was going to his rescue. He will die in the run down car with no one remembering his name. Killing off a character like this is actually rather dark for me.**

 **Platinum was only supposed to be in this three-part story, but I enjoyed her character so much that I decided to let her continue being part of the story. This was based on a whim and wasn't planned, but she'll be a part of Grayson's team for now.**

 **Remus is able to outrun most cars. Thanks to Dr. Lupa training his body to reach its inner potential, Remus' casual speed is around 80 mph, but this has only been clocked in Vacuo and running on sand reduces his running speed.**

 **Sapphire's last attempt to copy Remus led her to say Yang's catchphrase. It makes sense that the others never heard of it, but how she knew herself is a mystery.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: Peace & Quiet**

 **Setting: Treasure Trove Wharf**

Treasure Trove Wharf is a place on the coast of Vacuo. It was a sea-fairing settlement that's been around for a long time. The vast ocean of Remnant has been known to house rare treasures. Either at the sea floor, uncharted waters, or lands where people would not dare to go, there was always something to find, and more importantly, something to sell. Adventurers and treasure hunters search all around for things to discover or salvage, but the expeditions are not for everyone. Grimm make the ocean their home and attack any vessel with no mercy, making the sea more treacherous than life on land, plus being attacked by monsters in the middle of the ocean with no one to hear you scream is quite terrifying. Only the bravest and strongest dare to live a seafaring life. It's a dangerous way to live, but the rewards are worth it. Many of them have found actual treasure and rare items on their voyages and they all come to one spot to sell them; Treasure Trove Wharf.

All adventurers come to this settlement to sell whatever they find to the highest bidder. This happens every day, so people can always find someone trying to sell something. The popularity of bidding gave the settlement its name and how it's main source of income. In a lot of ways, it's similar to Fortuna's Bazaar, but on a much grander scale with much rarer items on sale. Treasure Trove Wharf truly lives up to its name.

Any type of person could be found in this nautical place and there was a strange character walking right through Treasure Trove Wharf right now. That person was Grayson. He looked around at all the ships selling different items, but he wasn't here for something, he was here for someone. Grayson needed to meet one of his secondary partners for a task, plus he came here to get away from everyone else.

With the recruitment of Platinum, Grayson's number of allies has increased again, but the close proximity has been quite taxing on him. He thought bunking with three women would be hot, but it was extremely annoying. While he's been buying furniture, appliances, and other things for their base, the girls have been working on his last nerve. Azura and Alexandrite would fight like always, but the new element, which was Platinum, goaded them into fighting because she got off from it. It got worse by adding Platinum because she would spend all night building things from scrap and keeping Grayson up. The only thing she managed to make were new limbs and a few combat robots that she tested against the others, against their wills most of the time. Azura was the only sane person he could talk to and she told him it's worth more to keep Platinum around even if she drove them insane. He made a decision that the next person he finds to join his ranks would be a guy.

Grayson wanted to some space and this little venture was what he needed. He walked through the docks where all the ships were presenting their findings for people to buy until he found a sailing vessel that wasn't selling anything. It was a boat that was like a yacht, but fairly small in size. There was a deck people could walk on and a second floor that led to who knows where. It had no sails, so it must use an engine to move and unlike most yachts, this one had some real wear and tear on it. There were scratches on the side, the red paint on the hull looked worn and the white everywhere else was stained. The boat itself appeared usable, but the owner was nowhere to be seen, but Grayson could see rope tied to the dock and a small metal bridge attaching the boat to land.

He casually walked on the bridge to get on the boat where he entered the lower floor. The area led to a room where the ground was littered with junk and up against the wall was a small bed with someone sleeping in it with the covers hiding their body. Grayson could hear the person snoring loudly as he picked up a beer can he found on the ground then chucked it at the person. In a few seconds, the person under the covers emerged with a handheld harpoon gun and pierced through the beer can. The person on the bed was a young man with a five o'clock shadow with black stubble around his chin. He had messy black hair that reached down to his chin and a pair of gills on his neck, signifying that he's a faunus. Grayson looked away in disgust, not because the man was a faunus, but because the man was butt naked underneath the sheets and Grayson saw more than he ever wanted to see.

The finally recognized Grayson and smirked before saying, "Grayson, that you? It's been a quite some time since you came to visit," the man said with a cool attitude. "And if you're here, then that means you need something." He got out of bed despite being naked while holding a harpoon gun.

Grayson turned away from him until his back was facing the naked faunus then said, "I need your help with something Murphy. Get dressed, I'll meet you outside."

"Don't be like that. We're friends after all, so no need for formalities. Just call me Kelvin. Now, what can I do for you?" Kelvin asked while sitting on the bed nude.

Grayson left to head to the docks, but not before saying, "Get dressed."

On the dock of the ship, Grayson sat on a chair facing the ocean with his eyes closed. He felt someone tap his shoulder and he immediately went for his grapple sword next to him. He looked up to see Kelvin fully dressed. He wore an ocean designed tie dye with the color combination of turquoise, aquamarine, green, and blue to give off a real oceanic feel. Kelvin was also wearing white shorts that reached passed his knees and sandals. His skin was tan and looked like it was kissed by the sun. He gave off a beach lover vibe with his appearance.

"So, what do you need?" Kelvin asked Grayson now that he had clothes on.

"I need your help with a job," Grayson answered from the comfort of his chair.

"Man, I already told you I'm not joining your group of mercenaries. I prefer life on sea, not land," Kelvin griped with his right hand over his gills.

"I'm aware of that, but I don't need you to join. I just need your services. That's why we agreed you'd be a secondary ally. Not to mention I need some time away from the others. A sea mission will do wonders."

"I hear that. There's something about the ocean that always-"

"Yeah whatever, will you help or not? I know underwater treasure hunting is your favorite hobby. I'll pay," Grayson interrupted.

"Sure, if you're paying. What are you doing for your mission?" Kelvin asked in a casual tone.

"Some old sailor wants me to find a wrecked ship and search for some treasure he lost."

"…That doesn't sound like a job you'd usually take," Kelvin laughed then said, "Your team must be really pushing your buttons. Alright, I'll take you up on your offer, but we got to wait for a friend of mine to get back here."

"A friend?" Grayson questioned.

"Kind of. He doesn't talk much, or at all, but he seems cool. He's here on a mission from Mistral and I have to take him back today, so I can't leave him behind." Just as Kelvin finished, the two of them could hear footsteps on the metal bridge. "Oh. That's him."

Getting on board the boat was a young man that was hard to discern. He wore a brown jacket with a feathered hood covering his head and a black mask covering his mouth and nose, letting his brownish yellow eyes be the only thing people can see. It was hard to tell what kind of shirt he was wearing beneath this zipped up jacket, but his pants were black along with his boots. He clearly wasn't dressed for the dry heat of Vacuo, but whether he was uncomfortable in his garb was unknown thanks to his mask covering his face. Just like Kelvin said, the person was abnormally silent. It was extremely difficult to get a read on him, but Grayson knew immediately what he was based on his appearance and what Kelvin just told him.

 _"_ _With a look like that and he hails from Mistral. No doubt this guy's an assassin,"_ Grayson thought. He and the assassin locked eyes for a few seconds before looking away, both deeming that the other was not a threat.

"Can we go now?" Grayson asked Kelvin. "I got the coordinates on my scroll, so let's get this done before nightfall."

"Sure. Hey, guy, you want to…" Kelvin watched as the assassin passed him and climbed his way above deck to sit on his own. "Okay, we're ready to set sail."

 **Setting: Vacuo Coast**

Kelvin sailed his ship for two hours toward the coordinates Grayson gave him. The journey wasn't into the open sea, but around Vacuo's coastline where the wrecked ship was supposed to be found. To keep the voyage from being dull, Grayson struck conversations with Kelvin while the assassin stayed on his perch where he remained silent. Grayson told Kelvin about his teammates and how they annoy him, but were still useful until he deemed otherwise. Kelvin told him about the different things he has found under the sea and how he has made a life out of a selling them. Grayson wondered if he could get paid more by selling whatever he was supposed to find rather than returning it to its owner. Eventually the conversation shifted to a particular topic.

"Why are you playing ferry for that guy? You don't seem like the type to play with assassins."

"The guy who hired him paid me a lot for the trip. Money opens a lot of doors and answers a lot of questions. Besides, I'm just someone from one place to another. It's not like I'm killing someone, just playing tour guide."

"He doesn't creep you out at all?"

"How can he creep me out if I'm friends with someone like you, Grayson?" Kelvin jested.

"Fair enough. Just let me know when he says something. Something's bound to come out of his mouth," Grayson asked as he looked up at the unknown figure.

It took them another hour, but they finally made it to the destination the coordinates guided them to. Looking up from his phone, Grayson took note of his surroundings, noticing all the wrecked ships around them. There were ships parts and pieces of driftwood everywhere, but it didn't bother him in the slightest. Kelvin on the other hand, knew this area was famous for ships being destroyed beyond repair and was worried his boat/home would be next. He sailed it carefully around the sunken ships, their parts, and rocks sticking out of the water so his boat wouldn't be damaged. Grayson's employer informed him that he was looking for a ship with black sails, so he scanned the area for one that met that description.

Unknown to the two of them, something was moving underwater, something big. Grayson and Kelvin didn't notice, but the assassin above did. He kept his eye on the underwater shadow as they progressed through the ship graveyard. Grayson told Kelvin to stop when he found what he was looking for, black sails, but that's all he could see. The rest of the ship was underwater.

"You still got the scuba gear?" Grayson asked Kelvin.

"Of course. Never know when someone wants to join on the adventure," he answered before leaving to get the equipment.

While Grayson and Kelvin were getting ready, the assassin was still keeping his eyes on the underwater threat that stopped moving when the boat stopped. He reached for his jacket, prepared to pull it off, but heard Kelvin call him.

"Hey! We're going in the water now!" he shouted from below. He changed his attire to swim trunks and Grayson had on a black and green scuba suit. "We'll be back. You can handle yourself if there's any trouble! And make sure the ship doesn't get damaged!"

"…" The assassin remained silent as he brought his attention back to the dark figure.

Grayson and Kelvin jumped in the water, swimming toward the sunken ship to look for treasure. Kelvin swam without the need for gear because his faunus gills weren't just for show while Grayson moved beside him. They found a breach in the side of the vessel and swam there to enter the ship. Back on the surface, the assassin eyed the dark mass beneath the waters and watched it sit still. The mass extended its limbs to show it had tentacles and moved in, swimming around the ship to get to Grayson and Kelvin, ignoring the ship completely. The assassin knew what it was based on its behavior and ripped his jacket off to spring into action.

The assassin removed his brown jacket to reveal a brown shirt covered in sharp blades. It had holsters strapped around the chest where various knives were being held and on his back her two machetes. On his right arm was some kind arm gauntlet with metal plates sticking out that made his arm look like he had razor sharp feathers. His fingers were gloved and the fingers were tipped with sharp metal that looked like talons. With a better look at his body, the assassin had a very lean build and his hair was light brown and ruffled. The assassin's face from the nose down was still covered by his mask, so it was difficult to determine what emotions he was expressing.

He jumped off Kelvin's boat and brought his right arm in front of him. He launched several of his razor feather blades right into the water above the dark figure. His attacked seemed to work as the dark mass began to squirm. Out of the water came a black tentacle with three of the assassin's feather blades embedded in it. As he fell, the assassin grabbed one of his machetes and sliced a portion of the tentacle before landing in the water. The unknown entity screeched loudly and it caught the attention of Kelvin and Grayson.

They were searching through the ship, completely unaware of what was happening outside until they heard the shriek. Grayson used his grapple sword to slice at the ship's wall to weaken it then punched a hole to see what has happening and he wasn't pleased with what he saw. Outside was a squid-shaped Grimm about the size of Kelvin's boat if not bigger. Its head covered in a white skull with red markings. The tentacles had bone plating at the base, but were bare and black further out. Its eyes were red and was looking right at the assassin, who was swimming toward it. The Grimm used its tentacles to attack him, but the man was swimming gracefully around them. Grayson ignored it so he could focus on the reason he was here. Kelvin on the other hand, swam back in order to protect his boat. He aimed his harpoon gun at the Grimm's head and his weapon glowed yellow. He pulled the trigger and the shining yellow aura surrounding the harpoon fired instead of the harpoon itself. The aura a harpoon struck the Grimm and electrocuted it intensely thanks to the creature being in water.

The Grimm was stunned momentarily and the assassin used his machete to slice into one of its other tentacles. One of the Grimm's tentacles was trying to attack the assassin from behind, but he quickly turned around to defend himself only to see a lightning harpoon hit the tentacle first, electrocuting the appendage and fending it off of the assassin. Kelvin swam close to the Grimm while the assassin made his way back to the boat because his air supply was low. After a short reprieve, the assassin stood to the edge of the boat where he saw Kelvin emerge while wrapped in a black tentacle along with more of them. At the water's surface the Grimm's mouth appeared, appearing like a pit full of sharp teeth. Kelvin was getting a hold of his harpoon and fired several rounds of stone harpoons from his dust-infused weapon, stabbing into several of the other tentacles, but it wasn't enough for the monster to lose its grip. The assassin leaped from the boat onto a tentacle using his clawed gloves and climbed up to rescue Kelvin who was sorting through the dust in his harpoon gun.

Grayson paid the battle outside no mind as he searched the ship's rooms for what he was looking for; a safe with a four-digit code lock. He didn't care about the fighting and only used his grapple sword to cut or knock down any obstacles in his way. It was a puzzling task to search through the entire ship, but the reward was worth it and the alone time was much better than being back base with his teammates. He's been doing this for five minutes, but his scuba gear's air tank would last for half an hour so it was only a matter of time before he found it.

The assassin climbed onto one tentacle then jumped to another and did this one more time till he landed on the one that was holding Kelvin. He threw daggers at any tentacles that came their way until Kelvin fixed his harpoon gun the way he wanted. He armed his harpoon gun with all the wind dust he had equipped to his weapon. Kelvin only needed one shot of compressed air to hit the Grimm with tremendous force. The assassin had both his machetes out and was slicing at the Grimm's appendages before cutting off the one he standing on as well as holding Kelvin who aimed his harpoon at the Grimm's mouth. He fired his harpoon made of compressed air directly into the Grimm's mouth and it hit one of Grimm's teeth. The air harpoon exploded violently, releasing air that blasted everything away, including Kelvin, his boat, and the assassin.

The shockwave of the shot was felt underwater as Grayson stopped what he was doing to see what happened out there. He swam into a room with a window facing the boat and looked through it. Grayson saw the Grimm was sinking then Kelvin and the assassin landing in the water moments later, though they weren't moving. He looked away to continue his mission, but it might've just finished. In the corner of the room was a bookcase with a steel safe on one of the shelves. It had the four-digit lock just like he was informed. He was fortunate enough to find the right room. Grayson grabbed his prize and swam out of the ship toward Kelvin's boat. He made his way there, but heard the grumbling of the squid-like Grimm at the sea floor. Kelvin's attack was only powerful enough to knock it out, but not kill it.

Grayson quickly swam toward Kelvin's body. When he made it to his friend, he broke through the water's surface then threw his sword into the edge of the boat and held onto the cable while taking hold of Kelvin. He reeled the two of them in until they were next to the boat. Grayson tossed Kelvin onto the boat and the impact woke the faunus.

"Ah! Ou! Ah! What happened!?" Kelvin said as soon as he woke up.

"You and your friend were fighting the Grimm then there was a boom. That's all I know. Speaking of which…" Grayson looked over to sea to check on the assassin who just regained consciousness.

The assassin swam his way to the boat and Grayson noticed something very odd about it. Out of the water came two tentacles that slammed down on the assassin, bringing him under the water for a few moments before he emerged again wrapped around a tentacle. He reached for one of his machetes and slashed at the appendage with the others watching on. Grayson noticed something very odd about the assassin's actions. They weren't making any sound. It was like his whole body was mute, not only his voice. It was unheard of.

The assassin fired the feather projectiles from his arm guard and they were silent as well, even as they pierced the Grimm's bone plated head. The monster screeched loudly before sinking into the sea, dragging the assassin to the bottom of the sea. It was silent for a long time as Kelvin looked at the spot the assassin was dragged underwater. There was no sign of bubbles or movement beneath the waves and Grayson didn't care. He completed his mission and was ready to deliver the goods.

"Come on. Let's go," Grayson said, already walking away from the unseen battle.

"What about him?" Kelvin asked, still standing at the side of the boat.

"Dead weight. I got no reason to save his drowned ass. Now let's-"

There was large mass of black appearing on the water's surface and the size increased as it spread like ink. The two of them looked on, waiting or the Grimm to appear. Instead of seeing the giant squid, they saw the assassin appear from the sea before swimming to the boat. Grayson noticed that there was no sound as he splashed in the water, making the assassin seem even more mysterious.

The assassin climbed onto the boat soaking wet and still silent. He walked past the other two who were staring at him and returned to his perch. Kelvin and Grayson watched him before Grayson told Kelvin to return back to shore. The ride back was much more relaxing after battling the Grimm. Grayson glanced at the assassin several times on the way back, trying to discern anything about him, but he got nothing. The assassin was mystery personified.

 **Setting: Treasure Trove Wharf**

Grayson left to meet with his client somewhere in town while Kelvin stayed on his boat with the assassin. There was nothing for the two to converse about since the assassin was either refusing to talk or was a mute, but it was extremely hard to tell. Kelvin decided to go around the other ships to see what they were selling, try to add some more decorum to his boat/home. He didn't buy anything because he didn't bring enough money to bid. He returned back to his ship and saw Grayson was already there the Lien he received as payment, but he also had the steel safe with him.

"I thought you gave that to your client. What happened?" Kelvin asked.

"He opened it to check if everything was there and it was. Dishes and utensils made of silver and gold. Apparently, they're family heirlooms that are one of a kind."

"They sound priceless."

"Exactly what I thought. Which is why I claimed it for myself to see if I can sell them for a good price."

"I'm sure your client tried to stop you."

"Unfortunately for him, he did, and it was the last mistake he ever made," Grayson answered, lifting the steel case to show Kelvin the blood staining the side. "Lucky for me, I saw him put in the code and memorized it."

"You really are a horrible person, aren't you?"

"Yup. I'm a sick son of a bitch. Anyway, here," Grayson tossed a gold chalice embedded with jewels at Kelvin and he caught it. "Your share for helping."

"Thanks… Are you gonna give any to him?" Kelvin pointed to the assassin still on his perch, staring at the vast ocean.

"No. I didn't ask for his assistance, he joined on his own volition. Though there is something else I want to give him. Hey! Assassin! Get down here!" Grayson shouted.

The assassin reacted and leaped down in front of them. He was quiet as he stood there waiting for Grayson to talk to him.

"You're pretty good at what you do. So much so that I want you to join my team. What do you say… if you can say anything at all?"

The assassin raised his hand and shook his head, refusing Grayson's offer.

"Assassin's from Mistral don't join anyone," Kelvin told Grayson. "They remain neutral, so he won't accept your offer. But, if you hire him for a job, he'll see it through to the end."

"…I'd like to hire you for a job. There are four people I want you kill," Grayson told the assassin.

He pulled out his scroll and looked through it till he found what he was looking for. He showed his scroll to the assassin, displaying a picture of Team VRSZ in battle. The assassin memorized their faces, their names when Grayson listed each of them. He was ready to find them and kill them all.

"I want them all dead, especially Violet, and I don't want to see you again until the deed is done. You won't get paid either until you kill them. And I want proof. Understood?" Grayson told the assassin.

The assassin nodded, presented Grayson with a black card then gave it to him, and left the boat, running to who knows where.

Grayson looked at the card and read what it said;

 _"_ _Tawny, the Silent Killer"_

"What kind of name Tawny?" Kelvin asked.

 **Setting: Grayson's Oasis**

Grayson finally returned to his base where he assumed the peace and quiet would end. He was correct because he heard the sound of an engine roaring. He groaned loudly, but it was drowned out by the engine. He walked around the stone stronghold to see what was making that noise, and to his surprise, he got his answer.

He saw Alexandrite and Azura standing next to a makeshift doom buggy being driven by Platinum. He recognized some of the parts on the outside because they were the parts the mad genius used to create her robots. The vehicle wasn't appealing to look at, but it seemed to function soundly and appeared large enough for four seats.

Grayson looked on in amazement until he heard Platinum say, "Hey Grayson! When'd you get back?"

"Just now, with some Lien and sent someone to kill the freelancers. Nothing major."

"What?" Azura asked when she heard the part about sending someone to kill Team VRSZ. She felt conflicted about this because Remus dying was his fate, but it was her destiny to kill him and she wouldn't let anyone take that from her.

"Yeah. An assassin from Mistral is going after them. Maybe he'll find them and kill them for us, or maybe he'll ruin their weekend. Either way, they have some trouble coming. Alright Plat, show me how this thing works."

Grayson got in the driver's seat of the buggy with Platinum sitting next to him. Alexandrite watched them while Azura wondered what to think about the situation. Should she let the assassin attack the freelancers and kill them, or do something about this? She had to make a decision before it's too late.

* * *

 **Tawny is a brownish, yellowish tan color. An example of this is the tawny owl, also known as the brown owl. The owl is Tawny's animal motif and it goes along with his style. His weapons are a bunch of sharp blades representing talons and his arm guard representing a wing. Owls are known for being able to fly and stalk their prey which gave me the idea for Tawny's mannerisms.** **Tawny is capable of speech, but has taken up a vow of silence in order to perfect his killing techniques and maintain focus as an assassin.**

 **The silent part of the owl also contributes to his semblance. Tawny would never explain it to anyone, but the name of his semblance is Silence. His body and his actions produce absolutely no sound. When striking someone with his fist, no sound is created, but it's not the same if someone strikes him. It also a perfect semblance for assassination, allowing Tawny to sneak up on anyone and remain hidden without being found out.**

 **Kelvin Murphy's name is based of water, associating him with the colors of the sea. Kelvin means from the river and Murphy means sea-warrior. He is a faunus with his animal trait being gills on his neck, allowing him to breath underwater. He lives in his boat, prefers treasure hunting over battles, and is a free spirit. Likes to live around Vacuo's water, but not inland.**

 **Hazel's Pandemonium induces her victims under hypnosis, trapping them in a dream-like state where they face their nightmares. Since it's Halloween, I decided to list the fears the members of Team VRSZ will have to deal with.**

 **Violet: Being a pawn of her father**

 **Remus: Stranded at sea (Got over his fear of failure)**

 **Silver: Marionette Puppets**

 **Zelts: Being stuck with a bunch of needles (Hates going to the hospital)**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: Killing Intent Side A**

 **Setting: Fortuna**

 **Setting: Destroyed Settlement**

It was a new day for Team VRSZ as they set out on another mission, but this mission was bigger than anything they've done so far. Clair was informed by the kingdom of Vacuo of a single person traversing through the desert of Vacuo and was destroying any towns, settlement, or whatever place people called home. It was becoming a tragic event in Vacuo, leaving countless people homeless, not to mention defenseless to the hordes of Grimm that followed them and their negative emotions. There is little no law in the harsh, savage lands of Vacuo, but everyone understood the concept of mutual survival, which is why the kingdom has offered an enormous sum of Lien for anyone who captures or kills the threat.

Clair told VRSZ about this and they were ecstatic at their chance to earn at least six months' worth of Lien in one go. The majority of the team was prepared for this mission, all except for Silver. He left Fortuna with Bianca for Evergreen's next show, but it was temporarily closed due to the danger of the one-man army destroying everything in its path. To replace their gunman, Violet asked Blood to join them. The bat faunus was more than capable of filling in Silver's shoes, and his Paralysis would make capturing the target all the easier. Blood was more than happy to assist with the bounty mission, especially if it means he gets a piece of the reward.

 **Setting: Desert**

Before heading out, Violet asked Clair to give her a map with the target's trail so she could learn of his whereabouts and predict where he would show up next. She made the most accurate guess she could make and drove her boys and Blood to the place where their bounty might show up. Their destination was only a few hours away, good for them since their journey wouldn't be too long, bad for Fortuna because it probably would've been the next target. On the ride to their destination, Zelts worked on his focus to mentally prepare himself for the possibility of a dangerous battle. Remus was eager about meeting and facing such a threat that the kingdom had to put such a high bounty on him. His Cobalt blood boiling at the chance of intense battle. Violet was at the wheel, talking to Blood about everyday things. The two were on good terms, but it was rare for them to talk to one another without a third party. He told her that he would give his cut to Clair to help re-establish order in Fortuna after the raiding fiasco some time ago. That's what Blood told them, but Violet smiled to herself.

 _"_ _Hehehe… You say that, but I know you really want to make Clair happy,"_ she thought to herself.

 **Setting: Destroyed Settlement**

The foursome finally made it their destination, a settlement that their target was most likely going to enter and attack next, regrettably for them, Violet's deduction was accurate. The settlement was completely demolished, with buildings turned to rubble, sand coated in blood, dead bodies found here or there, and some areas were on fire. There was no sign of life as they drove into the area, meaning no Grimm would come, but it worried them, Zelts especially because it meant they were too slow to stop the person responsible from doing this. Remus looked around and realized they have been here before. This was the settlement he, Zelts, and Silver visited when they went to face the Jabberwock. Violet scanned the area, the blood on the ground has not completely dried up and the dead bodies were a tragic sight, but they were rather fresh.

"He's been here," she told the others. "We missed him, and just by a hair."

"That's a shame. This probably the closest anyone's ever gotten without actually facing him," Blood stated as he looked around at all the destruction.

"... I know we're not Huntsmen, but I wished we could've saved these people," Zelts said, feeling very down about what happened. Violet was all too aware of her friend's kind heart.

"We'll help the next town over by finding this guy and bringing him down. Right now, we'll search the area, try to find some clues about where he'll go next," she said, mostly to make Zelts feel better.

All of a sudden, all four of them felt something coming after them and they reacted by jumping out of Fantasia. A wave of energy came their way and hit Fantasia, ripping apart the hood, tearing the engine and splitting the windshield in half. The force of the wave pushed the car far away, outside the destroyed settlement. Violet was angered by the fact that the car was attacked and most likely totaled. Not only would the car have to be repaired, but it probably wasn't going to drive them home, meaning they would have to walk, and walking in Vacuo's desert was suicidal if you don't have the proper gear. She was livid at this and she was ready to beat down the culprit.

From where the energy wave originated, all four of them could see someone there. An extremely tall man who stood about seven or eight feet. He wore a dark red samurai robe over an even darker shirt. His wardrobe reminded Zelts of his old robe that he wore when he returned home, meaning this man hailed from Mistral, place known for dangerous characters. He wore a straw hat that covered his head and most likely protected him from the harsh sunlight. He wore sandals and had a sash wrapped around his body. He had a large sword in one hand and the sheath in the other. The sword was a katana that was almost as massive as the wielder and the sheath was irregular, looking like some king of large Gatling gun. His presence was intimidating and those around him quickly understood why his bounty was so high.

"Ah, new opponents. Are you here to feed my blade?" the sword-wielding man said in an ominous voice.

On closer inspection of his katana, they could see blood dripping from it. The blade was red, but stains of blood could be seen from it.

"Yes, she hungers. Hungers for more carnage, death, blood. She's almost full. Almost. Just one more helping, then we can rest till the next feasting. Please help us. Please feed my beloved," the swordsman pleaded before pointing his blood-soaked blade at them.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry… Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! HURRY UP AND FEED HER!"

It didn't take long for everyone else there to see that this giant man was insane and beyond any kind of redemption. Violet decided to the best course of action was to take him down, deliver him to the kingdom, and claim her money while the kingdom dealt with him. She made the first move by throwing a few Enigmas his way to see what would happen. The man took one step and swung his blade, destroying the smaller objects rather than slicing them. Everyone scattered to attack them man from different sides. Blood flew in on the man's left to land some hits, but the madman swung his sword at him. The intensity his swing forced Blood to cease his advancement, but the force of the blade's swing created a force of wind that pushed Blood back. Zelts was next as he stayed his ground. He split his shield into wingblades and sent a blast of air at the man. The man didn't have his guard up or anything when he was hit. The wind didn't seem to injure him, but it did push him back a couple feet. The man's face couldn't be seen, but he seemed surprised by the attack. His fazed moment was just that, a moment. Remus used Checkpoint to teleport behind him then tried to clash him in the back, but the samurai's reflexes were incredibly fast, fast enough to move out the way of Remus's blade then grabbed him by his throat. His straw-woven hat fell off due to his quick movements. He was a bald man with scars on his neck and one on his head, but the thing that caught Remus's attention was the fact that the man was completely blind.

"You'll be first," the crazed samurai said as he held Remus in one hand and positioned his sword with the other. He was ready to slice his body in half, but Remus teleported out of his grasp, creating blue smoke around him.

Violet moved in to strike the samurai in his back, seeing as how he wouldn't see her coming anyway due to his blindness combined with Remus' smokescreen. She tried to stab him in the back with one of her Enigmas, but her plan didn't work. For some reason, the samurai was able to react accordingly and ferociously turned his body around, hitting her side with his Gatling gun sheath and knocking her into rubble. Blood tried to use this moment to attack him while he was open. He threw a punch at the man's jaw, but the samurai blocked the attack by catching his fist. Blood's Paralysis was active and the impact was sure to slow the man down, but the crazed warrior grabbed Blood's hand and kept a firm grip. He lifted his sword in his other arm, ready to cleave Blood's arm off and brought it down. While he was in midst of doing that, Blood was able to pull out one of his chakrams from his side thanks to the man's body moving slower. Blood used it to deflect the swing and it did somewhat. The sword fell off its original path, slamming down next to Blood, but his chakram was sliced into two pieces as fell to the ground.

 _"Guess that's out of commission. Clair's not going to be happy about this,"_ Blood thought.

He used this moment to use his faster movements to jump up and kick the samurai in the face. He got him, smashing his foot against the man's cheek, but it wasn't enough to make him let go. Violet, Remus, and Zelts entered the fray to help their friend. Violet had her kukris and tried to slash his back, but he side-stepped away, letting go of Blood. He was near Remus, who tried to impale him with his double-bladed staff, but the samurai jumped in the air in time to barely avoid the blade. While in mid-air, Zelts sent another blast of wind his way and the samurai was hit, knocked away and falling to the ground. Violet has been observing the blind swordsman this entire battle and couldn't figure him out.

 _"What is his deal? He's blind. He shouldn't be able to see our attacks coming, let alone dodge and block them. What is his deal?"_ she thought to herself.

She watched him get back up, ready to continue the fight. There was something else about this battle that caught her attention, but wasn't too sure about because it only happened twice. In order to prove her hypothesis, she needed to see it a third time.

"Zelts! Hit him again!" she ordered her teammate.

He did as she said and sent a tunnel of wind straight toward the guy. It was obviously going to hit head-on, but he didn't block or dodge. It gale struck him in the chest and sent him flying into a wrecked building. The fact that he was hit by the wind again solidified Violet's hypothesis.

"He can't see Zelts' wind attacks!" Blood shouted before Violet had a chance to say it herself. She was glad to know Blood was sharp like her, but deep down felt like he stole her thunder. It was immature for a leader, but that's how she felt and planned to step up her game around Blood.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Zelts, keep making wind blast to attack him. It's the only thing working so far. We'll keep attacking as well. I'll find a way to land a blow."

The blind samurai was indeed blind. His lack of vision heightened his other senses tremendously, but that alone wouldn't be enough to dodge everyone's attacks so quickly, especially people as extraordinary like Blood and the freelancers. He couldn't see anything with his eyes, but he could sense auras. He sensed the auras of those around them, seeing them as different colors. He saw Violet's figure surrounded by her purple, Remus was blue, Zelts was gold with hints of green, and Blood's was dark red. He could see them, but not Violet's enigmas, though with his heightened hearing, he could hear them coming toward her and act accordingly. Zelts' wind attacks were another story because there is no way for a blind man, or anyone to properly defend against air. An invisible attack that Zelts can manipulate with Heart of Gold. It was the best counter against the insane samurai.

The samurai stood to his feet and realized they were somehow hitting him, but he didn't care. It meant they were worth feeding to his beloved katana. He grabbed his sheath then planted on the ground, causing it to change transform into a Gatling gun, with its fifteen barrels facing the freelancers. They all knew what was going to happen before the samurai could reach the gun's crank and scattered out of its line of fire, but the samurai saw their auras and he wanted to snuff them out. The Gatling gun fired and it fired shot after shot from every barrel quickly, responding to how fast the samurai was turning the crank. The rapid-fire barrage destroyed everything in its line of sight. The rubble of a reduced building was reduced even further to smithereens when shot down by the spray of bullets. The samurai moved the gun around to where the freelancers were while still turning the crank so he wouldn't give them any kind of reprieve.

The endless torrent of bullets was moving toward Zelts. The samurai knew the unseen attacks were coming from the one with the gold aura and decided to kill him first. Zelts was able to run away from the hail of gunfire, but knew this wasn't going to change anything, so he did what he was best at, defense.

In the midst of running away, Zelts brought his wingblades together to form his shield and hunkered down beneath it, keeping his body protected from what was about to come. He held his ground the moment he felt the gunfire mercilessly pelt his Heart of Gold with no sign of stopping. Zelts could hold this position for a long time and it would help his friends if the samurai focused his weapon solely on him. Blood flew to the sky to avoid being shot and he understood what Zelts was doing for them, as did Violet and Remus. Blood pulled out his only remaining chakram, activated the fire dust inside, cloaking the ring in flames, then threw it at the samurai. Violet and Remus moved in as well to perform Cloak and Dagger. The samurai raised his sword and slashed at the ring of fire that came his way, blocking the attack and breaking Blood's last chakram.

Remus teleported to his side with Romulus in hand. He swung his bladed staff, but the samurai parried with his massive katana. He felt the man's strength and felt ashamed because he was thrilled at the of fighting someone this skilled even though he has killed so many people. Violet used her semblance to not only remain invisible, but undetectable. Hopefully the development of her semblance to remain undetectable by others or machine would work on a man who can sense auras. The blind swordsman was able to see Remus' blue aura, but noticed that Violet's suddenly vanished then felt something hard hit him in the face before noticing she was right in his face. She increased the level of Invisibility to the point where he couldn't detect her then lowered it when she got close in order to knee him in the face. Violet was right about him not being able to detect her when she used Invisibility at such a level, but she had to be careful. Using Invisibility to such an extent makes her like a phantom, unseen, but unable to interact with the physical plane, so she had to decrease the level of her semblance to hit him or deactivate it altogether. Her knee to his face pushed his body back and made him lose grip of his Gatling gun sheath. The seemingly endless barrage of bullets ceased, finally giving Zelts a break.

Violet and Remus changed Cloak and Dagger's style to focus more on their semblances. Remus teleported near the samurai to land quick slashes and palm strikes while Violet attacked him with knives and blows while remaining invisible and it was working. The samurai was holding his own at first, but he was beginning to lose ground against the fastest members of VRSZ, not to mention Blood's Paralysis was still in effect, making his body and reflexes slow enough that he couldn't react in time. Remus split Romulus into twin swords and slashed him in the back then Violet kicked him in the side followed by throwing an Enigma at him, but the samurai was fast enough to block the throwing knife with his sword, sending the small blade flying upward where Blood caught it and dove down to assist. The samurai sensed him coming and brought his sword up to cut Blood in two, but felt Violet stomp down on the back of his leg, forcing him down on one leg and gave Blood the opening he needed to punch the man in the face. Paralysis activated when he hit him, slowing the samurai even more, but it didn't mean the madman was giving up. To him it meant that these for were worth feeding to his blade. He planned on killing each of them then bath his word in their blood.

The samurai moved to swing his sword hand right after Blood hit him. He didn't fully understand Paralysis, but he was aware that his body was responding poorly to his commands. While he was doing this, Violet ran in while still invisible to attack with Remus and Blood was about to use the Enigma he caught to attack him, but they were too late to stop his swing. The large swordsman swung his blade around his body, not hitting either of them, but the force of the swing was enough to push them all away. Violet was sent flying through the air, but she flipped in the air and landed on her feet. Blood was sent upward and used his wings to stay airborne. Remus was sent flying, but used Checkpoint to teleport to the ground. The crazed samurai created some distance from the others to give himself some relief, but it was short lived. A huge whirlwind came after him and blasted him away. Zelts stood where the wind came from and had his wingblades in his hands. Remus teleported next to him so they could perform the next team attack; Delta Stream. Violet noticed the man's Gatling gun sheath was unguarded and used this opportunity to throw five fire Enigmas at the large gun and watch it exploded into pieces.

The samurai was getting irritated by the persistence of the freelancers and wanted to feed them to his beloved already. He held on to his katana and sensed the auras around him. He sensed Blood flying in to attack him from behind, but noticed soon enough to counterattack. He swung his katana at Blood when he got close, but Blood flew to the right, dodging his blade and distracting him from the real attack. Zelts created a funnel of wind that was heading directly toward the samurai and it hit him, but instead of being pushed back, the samurai learned from the previous wind attacks and stabbed his large sword into the sand, holding onto his weapon to stay in place. Remus jumped into the wind funnel and traveled inside it to reach the samurai. When he was almost near the enemy, Remus swung both his swords to attack him while he was pinned, but the samurai and his katana was too big. Such a straight forward attack was blocked by the samurai's sword, abruptly ending Delta Stream. The samurai sensed Remus' blue aura right in front of him then reached his hand out and grabbed him by the throat. Paralysis was no longer affecting his body. He was now back at a hundred percent.

Remus was going to teleport out of there, but the blind swordsman acted first and slammed Remus' head hard into the ground, leaving him a little dazed. He looked so tiny in the grasp of the abnormally tall samurai, almost like a toy, and the man's hand fully encompassed his throat, making it seem like even the smallest show of force would break his neck and that was the blind man's intention. He strangled Remus in order to kill him then run his katana through his body to 'feed' it. While having the life choked out of him, Remus tried to use Checkpoint to get away from him, but for some reason he couldn't. He thought about it and tried his hardest, but he couldn't activate Checkpoint. Little did he or any of them knew that the samurai's semblance was Suppression. Anyone with a semblance that he touched or grabbed could no longer use their semblance. It wasn't anything special, but it was effective in keeping Remus' Checkpoint in check. Remus tried to break free by moving his hand, but the samurai's hand wouldn't budge and he tightened his grip even more then slammed Remus into the ground again where he kept him pinned. He lifted Romulus and tried to stab his arm, but he let go of his swords.

Remus was beginning to pass out until the samurai's hand released him. He fell to the ground trying get back up, but instead, he saw Blood kick the man hard in the gut then brought both his hands up from beneath the man's chin to land a strong uppercut. The samurai was rocked by the attacks and Blood used this moment to grab Remus and fly out of there, but felt the samurai's hand grabbing his wings. Blood felt his pride and joy being mangled by this person's rough hand.

"Wings? You're a faunus… Hmm. Wings are quite rare. I'll fetch a high price if I don't feed your wings to my love," the blind swordsman said.

The samurai landed a strong blow to Blood's gut then picked up his katana to impale him. HE sent his giant sword toward Blood, but he vanished in blue smoke along with Remus. The samurai sensed their auras vanish then heard the sound of Violet's throwing knives coming toward him. He backed away, dodging the knives that hit the ground where he once stood and they engulfed the ground in front of him in flames. Zelts coordinated with Violet to make a miniature Petal Storm: Hellfire. He sent a gale of wind at the samurai, reaching the flames first where the wind began to spread the flames farther and engulf the samurai.

"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!" the samurai screamed from the unexpected blaze that surrounded his body.

Remus teleported himself and Blood just a few feet from the blaze where they both laid on the ground. Blood was more shook about what the lunatic said about his wings, about cutting them off and selling them. As a faunus, he has heard many people threaten to cut them off or burn them off like they did to Hazel's, but this is the first time he heard someone say they would sell them. After hearing Silver's previous exploits as a member of Team BASG, he could believe and it honestly scared him. Remus was doing his best to breath regularly after being manhandled like that. Zelts felt that the battle was over and brought Heart of Gold together into its shield form then put it on his back. Violet felt the same, putting her throwing knives into their bag, but she felt his ominous presence and rushed toward Remus and Blood.

Blood was still shaken by fear and Remus had his back to the fire as he finally caught his breath and neither of them noticed a figure looming in the flames. Bursting out of the flames was the blind samurai. Some of his skin was burned and currently on fire along with his clothes, showing his aura was no longer protecting him and his face was enraged. He already had his katana in position to cut off Remus and Blood's heads. The massive blade was coming their way and the both of them were too stunned by the sight to do anything about it. The sword reached Remus' neck, but it didn't get any closer. Remus and Blood stood there, looking at Violet appearing before them after deactivating Invisibility. Remus was glad that she protected them, but Blood noticed that one of her kukris had blood on it.

The blind samurai's throat was sliced open and blood was spilling out. The blind man gargled, trying to speak but the words didn't come. Showing no form of remorse, Violet kicked the giant man so he would fall back into the flames. The samurai could sense their auras, seeing them as different colors, but the colors began to fade away and his vision was starting to go dark. The samurai died, burning in the flames that consumed his body. Violet looked on with no remorse for the crazed killer. Her original plan was to capture him, but with Remus and Blood's lives in danger, she decided to protect them over keeping him alive.

"You guys alright?" she asked them with her back to them. Remus nodded and so did Blood.

She felt strong pass her by and the flames began to die out, leaving only the samurai's body which was burned and slightly charred. Violet turned around to see Zelts with Heart of Gold as wingblades, showing he was the one who ended the fire. She knew Zelts wasn't one for killing, so she didn't know what he would say to her next.

"If you let the body burn too much, then it wouldn't be recognizable. If we want the Lien, we have to prove this is the samurai," Zelts told her calmly.

"I think that and the large sword will be enough," Blood said as he looked at the giant weapon.

"Alright, put the body in the trunk and the sword in back. We'll drive back to Fortuna and tell Clair what happened. Someone from Vacuo will come and give us our reward," Violet told the others to summarize their actions.

"Guys," Remus called out to grab everyone's attention. "Is the Fantasia still operable?" His question was a very important one. The others completely forgot about the car's poor state after being the first casualty of the fight. Now the question on everyone's mind was whether the car would start.

"Um…" Violet said as an answer. "We can call Clair for a ride," she suggested.

"That won't work," Blood answered regrettably. "She's not in Fortuna right now."

"Where is she?" Remus asked and Blood could only respond by pinching the bridge of his nose.

She was baffled about what to do next. She could ask Blood to make a call and wait for help, see if Sterling or Onyx could do anything for them if they could. Violet isn't a mechanical genius like Onyx, but she was the best option there to try and repair the car in some way, that is if it could be repaired. Whether the Fantasia would run for the freelancers so they could earn big money was a huge gamble. It was up to the whims of Fortuna to decide their fate and the whims of Fortuna are fickle.

* * *

 **This chapter is called Side A because the chapter after this happens around the same time. The next chapter will also have someone killed.**

 **Killing is a complicated subject among the members of VRSZ. Each of them has a different approach to it. Zelts is against it, or at least he won't try to kill after all the death and violence he witnessed in Never-End. Silver prefers not to kill others on a whim and has expressed not wanting to do so when he was in Greyhound, but will if he thinks there's no other option. Violet and Remus are the ones most likely to kill. Remus doesn't feel conflicted about it since he was raised mainly for combat, but doesn't because his friends told him not to. Violet is willing to kill depending on the situation like in this chapter when her teammates' lives were in danger.**

 **In terms of hand-to-hand combat, Violet is the best on her team and ties with Blood as the best in Fortuna. If asked who would win, she would say Blood would win because his Paralysis makes it impossible to beat him solely by hand. Blood said Violet would win because he wouldn't be able to detect her if she used Invisibility.**

 **None of of the freelancers knew anything about the samurai's Binding, so Remus thought he was getting weaker when he couldn't use Checkpoint. It didn't show, but this mission was a blow to his self confidence. He's going to be training harder in order to do better and not let the others down.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: Killing Intent Side B**

 **Setting: Settlement**

In a settlement in Vacuo, there was some kind of festival going on around. There were vendors, dazzling lights, lots of people, and a stage. Many of the townspeople were out along with some outsiders joining in on the good tidings and waiting for the main event, Evergreen's concert. The rising star was having her next show in Vacuo where she planned to spread happiness and other positive emotions to the citizens. This was the original goal of her concerts after the dread and misery that was spreading throughout Remnant after the fall of Beacon. This started in Vale and began to grow in popularity, eventually receiving not only money for grander performances, but permission to travel to other kingdoms despite the closing of borders.

Her last tour, Wintergreen, was in Atlas and Vacuo was the next location. Mistral was the original next destination, but the law of no self-expression outside the kingdom wasn't something Evergreen agreed with, so they place was on hiatus. Actually, the Vacuo tour was going to be put on hold as well because of the blind samurai that was attacking everyone and everything, but the kingdom of Vacuo assured them that the bounty on his head was more than enough to coax bandits and thieves into taking him down.

Of the many people here at the festival are two denizens of Fortuna. Silver and Bianca. Silver became quite a fan of Evergreen and got his way into her concert through her former girlfriend and monarch of Fortuna, Clair de Lune Vantablack. Even got himself and Bianca backstage passes to see Evergreen in person. By all means, he should be happy, but Silver was walking through the town with a scrunched-up face. Bianca was behind him, trying to catch up to the brooding gunman.

"How long are you going to sulk?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"…" Silver continued walking away.

"I was going to tell you, but I couldn't find the right time to-"

"To what? Tell me about them?" Silver interrupted in frustration. "About how you went behind my back to see each one of them? I'm surprised I didn't find out about you seeing others for this long."

"…" It was Bianca's turn to be silent because she knew everything he said was right.

"And how stupid was I? Knowing you, this was bound to happen. It was obvious you would do this. Why didn't you tell me? Don't you think I would've done that stuff with you? I would've been so into it. Doing it with all those people would've been right up my alley!" Silver shouted and it caught the attention of the people around them.

Bianca was embarrassed by the unwanted attention because she knew they'd misunderstand the context of the situation.

"I'm just glad Ghost told me before you added anyone else to your To-Do List," Silver stated before walking away.

 _"_ _Damn you Ghost,"_ Bianca thought in her head. She couldn't believe her brother would rat her out the way he did.

* * *

 ** _Several Hours Ago_**

 **Setting: Ghost & Bianca's Apartment**

Bianca was getting ready to leave Fortuna to attend the Evergreen concert. She exited her room in her casual clothing. Bianca was wearing a white shirt and grey yoga pants with holsters for her bayonet guns, Archangels. Silver was leaning against a wall, waiting for her, and Ghost was laying on the couch, trying to be lazy.

"Ready?" Silver asked when he saw her leave her room.

"Yeah. Let's go," she answered with a small smile.

"Alright! Evergreen, here we come," Silver said, feeling eager to go to the concert.

Ghost groaned at his friend's enthusiasm. "I'm glad this concert is finally starting. You've been really annoying, talking about Evergreen nonstop. Can't believe you're going with him," he said to his sister.

"I'll admit I thought his… devotion was taxing, but if Silver likes Evergreen's music this much, then I might as well see it for myself and be supportive," Bianca answered honestly.

"Hmph." Silver was prideful that his girlfriend was on his side. "Looks like Bianca understands my admiration for Evergreen. That's why she's coming with me and not you."

"I don't want to go," Ghost stated. "Just gonna stay home and sleep."

"No, you're not," Bianca intervened when she heard Ghost's afternoon plan. "Since I'm leaving, you'll to be with Lady Clair to tend to her needs."

"One, it's been over a year. You can stop calling Clair 'Lady Clair' now. And I don't think she'll need me around today, so I can stay home and do my favorite thing, nothing," Ghost told his sister.

"What about Sapphire? I'm sure she'll call you up for a date," Silver asked out of curiosity.

"Taken care of. I told her that I went on a job for Clair outside Fortuna," Ghost answered.

"Keeping secrets from your girlfriend. Shame on you Ghost," Silver said as he shook his head, feigning dissatisfaction.

"Like you don't keep things from my sister?" Ghost questioned.

"Nope. That's how a relationship works. Being openly honest with the other. Right Bianca?"

"Right Silver," Bianca replied and it made Ghost raise his eyebrow in suspicion.

"Really? You completely agree with him?" he asked his sister.

She nodded then glared at her brother, visually telling him to shut up before walking out the door with Silver. "Let's go already."

"Oh, because if that's true-"

"Ghost," Bianca grumbled when she and Silver were just out the door.

She slammed the door to make her point, but Ghost shouted so they could hear him say, "Then why have you been fighting the remnants of Greyhound behind his back!?"

"WHAT?!" Silver said from the hallway.

Ghost chuckled and laid down on the couch. "Ghost; one. Bianca; zero."

* * *

 **In the Present**

"If you told me about the Greyhound remnants, we could've taken them down together," Silver told Bianca.

"It wasn't your problem to deal with," Bianca retorted.

"Have we not been in the same gang? How am I not a part of this?"

"Because, you severed your ties with Greyhound when you took them down and saved me. It was my turn to face my demons and put a permanent end to them. And, I've been doing a great job so at it. These, stragglers, are just a nuisance and I made sure they've been little to no consequence to Clair, Fortuna, or you. I've been dealing with them for months and they're on their last legs so let's just drop this please?"

"…" Silver was quiet as he listened to her. He could understand Bianca's reasoning for doing this on her own since he tried to take down Greyhound all on his own.

"We can talk about this later. Let's enjoy the concert and see Evergreen like you always wanted. The remnants of Greyhound are nothing to worry about anyway. They're just fodder."

Silver chuckled when he heard Bianca use his old catchphrase. It made him happy and a little better about the situation. He was still upset that Bianca didn't tell him about any of this Greyhound business, but realized she was right about one thing, this wasn't the place or time to talk about it.

"…. Sure. Another time, another place. Now, let's check out these food stands cause I'm starving," Silver told Bianca with a grin.

Bianca was relieved to know Silver was willing to let this go and focus on the fun, but knew this topic wasn't over. She and Silver walked to the nearest food vendor to check out what they were selling. Unknown to the two gunslingers, there was someone watching them. Perched above one of the town's buildings was Tawny, silently stalking Silver. He pulled out his scroll to look at the picture of Team VRSZ Grayson gave him to confirm his targets. He kept them within eyesight while keeping his presence undetected. With a crowd of people this big, it would be difficult for Tawny to kill Silver without any witnesses, especially if Bianca was going to stay by his side. He needed to wait for the right moment to strike.

Elsewhere, a group of people were watching Bianca. There were four of them, three men and a woman, and they were wearing the Greyhound hoodie jackets. They watched Bianca from two vendors away with resentment in their eyes.

"Great, she's here. Just when we thought we could catch a break here," one of the men said before biting into his steak kabob.

"And it's not just her, she brought the traitor with her," another guy said.

"The lady and her tramp," the woman said in disdain.

The four of them watched as the couple had a great time eating and seeing them happy after everything they've done to Greyhound and Lady Slate was burning an angry fire inside their bodies. The duo left to try another vendor and the foursome watched. Originally, they came to the concert to enjoy it, but they all had the same thought in their minds; Take down the two traitors here where they least expect to be attacked. The four of them followed Silver and Bianca, doing their best not to be found out.

Up above, Tawny followed Silver as he moved around the festival. Unknown to him, the hunter was being hunted by a hooded figure a far distance away. The person could not be identified because of the hooded cloak, but their motive was clear. They were stalking Tawny.

Silver and Bianca were at a game vendor, specifically at a vendor where the game was bullseye shooting. Silver played first, picking up the dart gun and hitting every bullseye target presented to him. He played two more times, getting cocky with every bullseye he hit. He won three giant stuffed dogs and Bianca rolled her eyes at his smug attitude over a trivial kid's game. She decided to join in and shot every target three games straight, and she did it faster than him. It brought out Silver's competitive side, like she planned and they both commenced with their duel, firing at every target and see which one of them hit the most. The winner was Bianca and Silver was left to carry the seven, giant dog plushies they won.

Silver held all of them in his hands thanks to Gravity keeping him balanced, but they would be a nuisance if he had to carry them everywhere. "What am I supposed to do with these?" he asked Bianca.

She giggled at his predicament and answered, "We don't need them, just give them away to anyone who wants them. But, keep one for me."

"Okay. Wait for me," Silver said and he left to give away six of the dog plushies while Bianca waited for him.

She decided to go for a stroll to see what else was at the festival before the concert started and so did three of the Greyhound Remnants that tailed her. Silver was walking around, asking anyone who wanted a dog plushie they could take it, not knowing Tawny was following from on top of the vendors with the hidden figure following him. Not to mention the fourth Greyhound Remnant decided to follow him as well.

Bianca bought herself a drink at a vendor and walked toward the outskirts of festival and the settlement. Thinking that she was leaving, the Greyhound thugs decided this was the moment to strike, when she was all alone and no one will interfere. They continued to follow Bianca as she walked through town without being noticed. As they walked behind her when the number of bystanders vanished, they began to notice something dancing in the air. Shining particles were appearing around the area and their numbers continued to grow the closer they got to Bianca. She finally left the settlement and the Greyhound crooks were doing their best to follow her, but they were traversing through a mist of shining particles that began to move around them, keeping their vision obscured. Bianca finally stopped walking, stopped creating particles with Stardust, and turned around with an upset look.

"You guys really piss me off," Bianca said to the Greyhound Remnants that could hear her voice, but couldn't see her because of the shining particles around. "I try to have a day off for once, try to make this fun date for my boyfriend, and here you fodder are, to ruin it."

The Stardust particles were beginning to swirl around them at fast speeds, creating streams of light that made it near impossible to see anything else. The Greyhound Remnants were getting scared as the dancing lights hid a truly dangerous fighter. Bianca on the other hand could sense their bodies when inside a cluster of Stardust particles.

"W-we're here to take you down traitor!" the female Greyhound shouted, even though she nor her comrades could detect where Bianca was.

 _"_ _No shooting, still too close to the town,"_ Bianca thought as she looked at her Archangels. _"Close-combat only,"_

Bianca had nothing to say to her former gang members now enemies. She was ready to take them down then return to Silver before he finished giving away those toys. Being they only one who could see her opponents, Bianca began a merciless beating on their bodies with punches and kicks, sometimes using the bayonets on her guns to slash at them. The Remnants came here for a festival, they were unprepared for this kind of scenario.

Back at the festival, Silver was giving away the stuffed, dog toys. He was lucky to find to young girls who wanted one, reducing his numbers from seven to five, four if he counted the one Bianca wanted for herself. Tawny watched this whole thing while still perched on top of a building. He pulled out a throwing dagger and kept it in his hand, seeing if he could kill him from afar. The cloaked figure a good distance away watched his movements and grabbed a staff from their side. Tawny closely observed him, but noticed something else, the Greyhound Remnant was walking up to Silver, obviously to attack him and Tawny couldn't have anyone get his mark first. Not only would it fail, but it would make Silver put up his guard. Tawny left his perch, jumping off the side of the building and landing on top of a nearby vendor. He accomplished this with his semblance, Silence, muting all the sound he would've made and gaining no one's attention.

He jumped off the vendor and walked toward the Greyhound thug without drawing suspicion. He speedily made his way to him before the thug came within ten feet of Silver who was too busy giving a man a stuffed dog as a gift for his sister to notice the dangerous characters nearby. Tawny grabbed the Greyhound member by his shoulder, causing the man to turn around and meet his end by knife to the heart. The Greyhound member was too shocked to speak, only gasping as Tawny pulled out the knife, put the man's arm around his shoulder, then carried him away. Silver turned around, only to see them leave, thinking Tawny was just carrying a friend who got drunk. Silver didn't give them a second glance as he tried to pawn off these pooches.

Tawny carried the dying body with him as they walked by all the people who paid them no mind until he found an alley in an area with very little people. He tossed the body in a dumpster and continued with his job. The hooded figure was on ground level as well, but stayed around Silver instead of Tawny, watching him without being noticed. This didn't last long as an announcement was sent throughout the festival via megaphone tower.

"Attention all festival goers and Evergreen fans! The concert is about to begin! Please converge toward the concert stage where the show shall begin!"

Silver was overjoyed to hear the show was about to start. He still had a few of the stuffed dogs, but decided to just drop them except for one so he could get a close spot near the stage. He and the rest of the people made their way to the stage and Silver used Gravity to jump high in the air and run on the side of building s to beat the crowd. The hooded figure had to play catch up as they pushed and shoved past dozens of people. Tawny was following the crowd while keeping his eye on Silver which wasn't hard thanks to the stuffed dog he was carrying.

Outside the settlement, Bianca was running back to the festival, thoroughly beating the Greyhound Remnants to a pulp and leaving them in the desert to eventually lick their wounds. She heard the announcement about the concert starting and running back to catch up with Silver. Three people were reaching Silver, one bad, one good, and one unknown.

At the large, concert stage, everyone was there, gathered in a large crowd where they waited for the show to begin. Silver wasn't at the front like he wanted, but it was close enough for him. He held onto the plushie, eagerly waiting for Evergreen to get on stage and Bianca to join him. A far distance away from Silver was Tawny, prepared to come from behind and slit his throat. It was a straight walk toward his target then he could work on the other three. He approached Silver, walking by droves of people without making a sound and Silver completely oblivious to what's about to happen. Tawny pulled out a knife and was about to place around Silver's neck, but a hand reached out and grabbed Tawny's arm. He looked over to see that it was the hooded person who stopped him and he had no idea who this was.

The hooded person's hand began to glow red and caught itself and Tawny's hand on fire. Tawny swatted the person's flaming hand away then backed away to check his own. Their small bout caught the attention of the of concert goers and Silver as well. When Tawny saw that Silver looked right at him, he reacted quickly by throwing the knife right at his head, but the hooded figure blocked it with their staff which was suddenly engulfed in flames. Seeing as how a fight has broken out, the people around them began to scream and scatter to safety while these three stayed.

Recognizing her fighting style, Silver looked at the hooded figure and asked, "Why are you here Azura? Got a job to ruin this concert for me, because you did."

Azura removed the hooded cloak and faced down Tawny.

"Shut up. I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to keep you alive from him," she answered harshly.

Azura jabbed the ground with her burning staff which spread the flames to the ground toward Tawny, but he jumped in the before it reached him. He used his arm guard to shoot several feather blades, a few at Azura and a few more at Silver. Azura reacted by shooting a large fire ball in their direction to melt the blades, but the simply past through the burning projectile, still on course for their targets. It was Silver's turn to act as he pulled out Fenrir and shifted them to escrima sticks. He used the metal sticks to deflect as many blades as he could, but two got through and slashed by his side, cutting his aura down a little. Silver realized that the blades didn't make any sound when he smacked them away or when they hit him or the ground and knew something about Tawny was odd.

Azura activated the ice dust in her legs to create sharp pillars of ice that moved toward Tawny, but he backed away in time, but created a wall between the two sides.

"Friend of yours?" Silver asked with a stern look. He didn't understand why Azura of all people was fighting with him.

"No, an assassin Grayson sent to kill your team," she answered just before she saw Tawny jump over one of the ice pillars.

He was in the air above them when he threw several knives their way. Silver and Azura moved out of the way when they hit the ground then Azura ran to the area the assassin was likely to land. She was about to swing her flaming elemental staff like a bat to smack him away then catch him on fire. Tawny landed on his feet and parried Azura's staff with his clawed glove for quick defense then tried to kick her in the gut, but Silver fired a shot at him, forcing Tawny to duck to dodge the bullet then back away.

"Again, why are you here?" Silver asked, having no idea what Azura's motives are. "Isn't this what you and your team want?"

Azura moved in to attack Tawny with her hands and staff still ablaze. The two of them moved across the sand as they fought in close combat and Azura still talked to Silver. "Nobody kills Remus but me. I can't let this guy complete his mission. You were just lucky that I saved your pathetic butt from dying. I really don't care about you, but if he kills you, then Remus might be next on his list," she explained before Tawny kicked her away from him.

As an assassin, Tawny prefers to kill through stealth, not through direct combat like huntsmen, so this battle was frustrating to him. Long, drawn out fights were not his forte and the vast, open land of Vacuo made it hard for him to sneak up on others. He was at a disadvantage, so he had to end this quickly. He pulled out his machetes and approached Azura while she was getting up. He was about to chop off her head until Silver jumped in and fired several rounds at the assassin who deflected each bullet with his two swords. A few seconds later, Tawny felt his swords weighing down on his arms, becoming too heavy for him to lift and they fell into the sand like they weighed a ton. Silver smirked as Gravity Bullet took effect and Azura used this moment to cover her arms and legs in lightning dust, shocking the area around her, including Tawny who was pushed back by the force. He analyzed the situation before he landed on the ground, seeing the shining, silver aura around his swords, guessing that's how long they'll be too heavy to lift. Azura was going to be in the way of his kill, so he had to kill her as well.

Silver fired rounds at Tawny, but he swiftly dodged each bullet while closing the distance between them. The gunslinger quickly changed Fenrir to escrima sticks and the assassin used his clawed glove and feather arm guard to fight up close. Tawny swung his arm guard at Silver, hoping to cut him down with the feather blades, but he blocked with one of his escrima sticks. Silver tried to hit him in the head with the other stick, but Tawny proved to be faster than Silver as he was able to kick Silver in the gut before Silver could touch him. The force of the kick pushed Silver into the wall at the bottom of the concert stage and Tawny saw this as the moment he waited for. He quickly threw as many knives as he could at Silver the moment he hit the bottom of the stage. Silver brought his head to see the knives coming and used his escrima sticks to parry some, but a few slashed at his arms and legs, bringing his aura down more. Azura, finally ready to fight again, ran to Tawny to strike him from behind, but Tawny felt her presence and raised his leg up from behind, delivering an uppercut kick to her chin. Tawny ignored her in order and rushed to Silver to kill his original target. He fired his feather blades at Silver as he made his way to him. Silver was hurt from the previous attack, but jumped up onto the stage itself, dodging the feather blades completely.

Tawny noticed his machetes were no longer glowing, so he ran straight for them and picked them up. He quickly ran toward the stage, but Azura used ice dust in her arms to create a path of ice spikes that traveled his way. Tawny jumped high in the air before the ice reached him and was about to attack Silver from above. Without anyone noticing, a woman walked onto the stage with a microphone in her hand. She didn't notice the fighters at first, but did when Silver jumped onto the stage.

'What's going on?" she asked, catching Silver's attention.

He turned around and saw the person he, Bianca, and everyone else came to see, Evergreen. He thought she was a thing of beauty. She had green hair that was similar to Loden's, but a lighter shade of green. It was relatively short as it reached down to her chin and matched her light green eyes. She had an angelic face that made any expression she made seem beautiful. Evergreen was wearing a green shirt and black shorts with knee-high black stockings with the combination showing only the bare skin of her upper thighs. Silver had to admit, she was more dazzling in person, but he didn't have time to talk to her.

"Look out!" she shouted, but it was too late.

Tawny landed right on top of Silver, standing right on top of his back. He was about to plunge his sword into Silver's neck, but a stray knife came out of nowhere and hit Tawny's hand, disarming him of his machete. Tawny looked to see who did that, but was meet with a flying kick to his neck, sending him flying to the other side of the stage. The person who kicked him across the stage was Bianca and she helped Silver back up.

"I was wondering where you went. Almost thought I got dumped," Silver said to Bianca in a joking manner.

"Why? This is a fun date.," Bianca retorted before picking her bayonet.

The duo watched where Tawny fell, but he was gone. They looked around the stage, trying to find out where he was hiding, but it was Azura who shouted, "He's above you!"

The two looked up to see a stage light fall on top of them. They moved out of the way of the large light as it crashed onto the stage without a sound which everyone thought was weird. Silver thought back to when he parried the assassin and only his strikes made sounds while the assassin's attacks did not. It made Silver think someone grabbed a remote control and pressed the mute button on Tawny. It was weird, but it meant that he had to keep his eyes on Tawny at all times if he didn't want to lose track of him.

They couldn't see Tawny that high up on stage, but they could only guess from where each stage light fell. Silver and Bianca dodged each one and during that time, a second person walked onto the stage and stood beside Evergreen.

One final stage light fell and Bianca moved out of the way to dodge it, but Tawny already jumped from the top of the stage without her noticing. Tawny fired the last of his feather blades from his arm guard with an unsuspecting Bianca as the silent blades made their way to Bianca. The blades almost reached Bianca and she was too late to react, but she didn't have to. Silver saw the blades before she did and ran in front of her to protect her. He used Fenrir to deflect a few, but several hit him, but it wasn't like the last time. Tawny landed on stage just when Silver's aura broke apart and there were three feather blades embedded into his right arm. The arm of his silver shirt was stained with blood and it was getting worse. Silver fell to one knee as he grabbed his bloody arm. Bianca was staggered by this turn of events and was ready to kill Tawny. She stood in front Silver and pulled her Archangels out, ready to kill the assassin.

Azura jumped onto the stage, in the air behind Tawny with her elemental staffed covered in ice in the form of a massive, ice hammer. She brought it down to smash him, but Tawny sprinted forward, evading the hammer as it left a huge hole in the wooden stage floor. He moved at incredible speeds to an infuriated Bianca to get to an injured Silver, but everyone heard someone singing. Tawny suddenly collapsed on the ground from the sound and he was having great trouble moving his body.

Bianca, Silver, and Azura weren't affected by the sound and they turned around to see the source of it was an unexpected visitor, Clair de Lune Vantablack. She stood beside Evergreen as she sang her song using Songstress to effect Tawny. Bianca noticed that the tone of this song was different than usual. Clair was much more assertive and the song's pacing was faster which was something Bianca never heard before and the fact that Clair made sure Songstress only worked on Tawny meant she was doing something she didn't want to inflict on the others.

Tawny seemed to be having difficulty getting up, falling back to the floor while fidgeting. He had no control over his body and it showed on his pained face. Clair sang louder and louder and it was scaring Bianca a little. Tawny looked like he wanted to scream out in pain, in fact, he did scream. They could tell that Tawny was screaming based on the movement of his mask, but because Silence was always activated, his screams of pain were silent. Tawny eventually stopped moving as if he was unconscious, but his eyes were wide open.

Clair stopped singing and the whole area was silent as everyone couldn't find the words to speak. It remained this way until Clair spoke up herself.

"He won't be a bother to anyone anymore."

"…What did you do to him?" Silver asked through the pain in his arm.

"Something I never thought I had to do. I used Songstress to attack his brain. It induces catatonia for months and even then, he won't be the same when he wakes up. It's over," Clair answered and she wasn't happy about what she did.

"Not yet," Azura interjected as she walked up to a mentally ill with her elemental staff covered in jagged ice, appearing as a spear.

She was going to impale the assassin, but Evergreen spoke up against this. "Hey! No killing on my stage! I still plan on performing today. Once this mess is cleaned up and get the people back."

Azura leered at Evergreen for a moment then stopped her killing action. She planned to take Tawny and kill him elsewhere later. Clair giggled then put her arm around Evergreen, pulling her close before saying, "When you have a plan, you always see it through to the end. Don't you, Ever?"

Evergreen laughed at her friend's praise. It wasn't until this moment that Silver realized that he was in the presence of the rising star singer, Evergreen. He slowly got up, despite Bianca trying to hold him down. He limped up to her with a smile.

"Hi! It's awesome to meet you. My name is- Oh…" Silver realized when he raised his arm for a handshake that his arm was bloody with metal blades sticking out of them. He brought his arm down, despite the pain, and chuckled it off.

You're Silver," Evergreen said with a small smile, but concerned eyes. "Clair told me all about you."

"Y-you do?" Silver was astonished that someone as famous and beloved as Evergreen knew anything about someone like him.

"We can talk about that while the stage is being repaired. The people of the town and my staff will get everyone back here and fix everything, not to mention get your arm patched up. That looks like it hurts."

"Oh this," Silver said with enthusiasm. He shook his arm around to show that it didn't hurt that much, but he was wrong. "Yeah, it hurts a whole lot." Silver waved it around some more before stopping. "A lot."

Evergreen smiled at Silver's antics except Bianca who stopped his arm and scolded him for harming himself further. Azura looked them with slight disgust before she noticed Clair was observing her with her hands crossed and a smile on her face.

"What?" she barked at the Vantablack.

Clair showed no sign of being insulted and said, "So you're the one related to Remus… I can see some kind of resemblance," Azura wasn't happy about that comment, but that didn't dissuade Clair from continuing. "Both of you are quite cute."

Clair's last comment left Azura feeling uncomfortable. She couldn't get a read on Clair, but could tell she wanted to invite her into their company. Azura grabbed Tawny's body and dragged him away, not waiting for an expression of gratitude from Silver and Bianca for helping. They didn't know what her intentions were by carrying Tawny away, but they were too busy to do anything about it.

 **Setting: Backstage**

Evergreen's staff members were already working on fixing the stage and regathering the audience. Backstage, Silver was sitting on an infirmary bed, getting his arm bandaged up by a doctor Evergreen had accompany her tour staff. Bianca was with him as he was being treated, leaning against the wall and watching as the doctor painfully pulled the feather blades out of his arm, placing them in a metal tray now smeared with his blood. When he finished, the doctor told Silver to be safe and enjoy the concert. Bianca leaned in to check his bandaged arm. The sleeve of his silver shirt was ruined thanks to the knives and the doctor having to rip it off in order to wrap his arm.

"This isn't the first time I lost a shirt in battle. Too bad, I liked this one. It complimented the sweater vest," Silver joked.

"How were you not hot in that thing?" Bianca inquired.

"Zelts isn't the only one with dust stitched in his clothing. Ice dust in the shirt kept me nice and cool, but those days are over. Got to find something else to wear."

"Better a ripped shirt than a dead Silver. It's a good trade-off," Bianca said.

"Heheh… Yeah. Thanks for your help. Sorry about kinda ruining the date with this whole… assassin trying to kill me fiasco."

"I'm sure you didn't plan this part, and if you did, then you have a weird concept of what constitutes a date. Call it even for the Greyhound thing."

"Deal. Even after all that, I still don't know what to make of Azura," Silver admitted.

"Pride. She wants to be the one to kill Remus, not let someone else take credit. I can understand that a little bit. Doesn't mean I'll let her kill him and I know you won't either."

"I know. She wasn't our ally today, just a third party in that fight," Silver stated to Bianca.

"Well, now that that's over, let's go see if we can visit Evergreen. See if she could give you an autograph on your bandages," Bianca said to change subjects and Silver agreed.

The two walked down the hall to Evergreen's dressing room and knocked on the door. No one answered so Bianca knocked again but received the same results. Silver moved in close and pressed his head to the door listening for signs of life. He did hear someone in there and since they weren't going to open the door, he decided do it himself. He opened it part of the way, saw what was going on inside, then quickly closed the door. Silver had a slightly shocked expression on his face.

"What did you see?' Bianca asked curiously.

"Uh, let's just say Evergreen's show might start a little late. Let's go," Silver answered then walked away.

Bianca followed, wondering what he saw. Inside of Evergreen's dressing room was Evergreen along with Clair as they were making out against her make-up desk. Silver didn't want to interrupt the former couple so he left without saying a word.

After the whole fiasco, Evergreen's concert began again three hours later. Silver and Bianca were given front seat views of the whole thing and they both enjoyed every minute of it. The concert itself last several hours then Bianca and Silver joined Evergreen and Clair backstage. Clair told them that she came here of her own volition to surprise Evergreen. Only her enforcers and family knew she was here. She had to pay C.P. a large amount of Lien not to tag along. Silver got to converse with his favorite singer, realizing they had several similar interests. This lasted till nightfall before they had to leave. He left the festival with Evergreen's scroll number and her friendship. Clair said so long to Evergreen one last time before boarding the airship she used to travel to the settlement and gave Bianca and Silver a ride back home.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

The three of them returned home when the moon was high in the sky. Clair descended to her personal hanger and walked back to Concordia, saying her good nights to the couple. Silver escorted Bianca back to her apartment to be a gentleman, and Bianca thought the roles should've been reversed since his arm was still injured. She kissed Silver deeply before saying goodnight. Silver left to head home and Bianca planned her revenge against her brother after he spilled the beans about the Greyhound Remnants.

 **Setting: VRSZ Base**

Silver returned home to his friends. He entered the base to see all of them laying on the floor completely exhausted and on top of a massive pile of Lien. They weren't rolling in it like he would, instead, they looked tremendously tired. He also noticed that leaning against their spoils of war bookcase was a giant sword. Silver had no idea what to make of this scene.

"What happened here?" Silver dared to ask. Violet, Remus, and Zelts looked his way, and Violet was the one who answered him.

"We got paid. Big."

"Nice," Silver complimented.

"Also, the car needs some serious repairs, but now we have the money," Zelts added.

"That's also good," Silver said with a smirk.

"What happened to your arm?" Violet asked with great concern.

Silver walked over all of them to make his way to the stairs. He said, "I'll tell you guys first thing in the morning. I am pretty tired, though I guess you guess are more than me... anyway good night."

Silver walked upstairs to sleep in his room while his friends remained of the floor of the living room where they'll be spending the night.

* * *

 **Azura did eventually kill Tawny. She told Grayson she was going to Evergreen's concert, so she planned to tell him that Silver and Tawny were there. She skimmed the details, telling Grayson and the others that they battled it out and Silver killed Tawny. Grayson wasn't the slightest bit suspicious about her story. She did bring him a gift, the feather blade arm guard Tawny wore and he happily accepted it.**

 **Evergreen and Clair's current relationship is unknown. Despite how they acted in Evergreen's dressing room, they realized that their jobs will keep them too busy to spend much time with each other in an actual relationship.**

 **Clair de Lune's Songstress can be extremely lethal if she wants it to be, but prefers not to use such courses of action unless necessary.**

 **Clair's theme was Moon River sung by Pixie Lott, but receives a new one after all this time. Her new theme is Fly Me To the Moon Cover by Jenny xUnreachablee** **. This song fits very well with Clair's playful character, semblance, and feelings toward everyone she loves. She simply wants to cherish the good times with the people she cares for the most. It is also one of her favorite songs to sing when she's in a good mood or by herself, but it always draws a crowd of happy listeners.**

 **The Greyhound Remnants Bianca left in the desert eventually returned to Fortuna where they told their allies what happened, causing a stir in the small group and moving both her and Silver at the top of their enemy's list, even though they were there before.**

 **The one Greyhound member calling the two gunslingers Lady and her Tramp is Bianca and Silver's pairing name. Bianca is a fine woman and Silver's been known for being a part of a lot of groups; Greyhound, Team VRSZ, and Team BASG (Beige).**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34: Renegades**

 **Setting: Libera**

Inside a run-down building in Libera, the district in Fortuna known for housing the criminal scum of the city, there were a group of people huddled together in the building's basement. They sat together at a large table and were all wearing the hoods of Greyhound that covered all their faces. The remnants of the once feared gang were in the middle of discussing their future, mostly how to survive the next month.

After the end of Greyhound's golden days, the members that were able to escape the fight hid in secret to get their revenge on the city that scorned them and the people responsible, but they never had the chance. They have come across several obstacles like other, big time crooks that lurked in Fortuna, Clair's task force that protect the city, limited resources, and worst of all, Bianca. Once she got word of the Greyhound Remnants presence in Fortuna, she has made it her mission to draw them out. She battled so many members, eliminating nine out of their twenty-two members in the span of months despite their convert operations, leaving just the thirteen in their hideout. With the recent defeat of the three members at Evergreen's concert along with the disappearance of the fourth one, they were at their wit's end.

"We're screwed," one of the members said.

"No, we're not," a female member interjected. "We can still restore Greyhound to its former glory! We just need more time."

"It doesn't matter how much time we have. Greyhound's dead," another downcast member replied.

One Greyhound member stood up from his seat at the table to get the attention of the others. He took a deep breath and said, "With the defeat of Lady Slate, Greyhound has essentially ended. We are what remains of its members and we alone can't bring it back, but before Greyhound dies, we will get vengeance on the two responsible for its abrupt end. Silver Synch and especially Bianca."

"Especially?" a member asked. He was standing by the wall, leaning against it with his arms crossed when he spoke to the others. "Silver's the one who betrayed us. I _especially_ want him to know how I feel about destroying Greyhound."

"And you'll get it," another member said. She was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. "But Bianca not only betrayed us when the time suited her, but she's gone and joined the ranks of the Vantablacks. She's under the enemy's command, working as their dog to eliminate us. As long as she's around-"

"Exactly," the member standing at the table said. "Bianca is our first priority and we'll begin our assault tonight. If the intel we got is right, then she'll be going to an isolated area here to deal with some rouges. That's when we'll strike. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" all the members shouted in unison.

"Yeah, but before that, we should talk about the elephant in the room. We have some traitors," the male Greyhound member leaning against the wall declared.

"What are you talking about?" the female member against the other wall questioned.

"Yeah, no here would dare betray us. What proof do you have?" another member asked.

"An outside source. Turns out two of our own have been making shady deals with Bianca. Giving her intel about our plans, locations, and any allies we have. Doing all of that to save their own asses. Basically, we got renegades," the Greyhound on the wall said.

All of the remnants looked at each other with suspicion, unaware of who the turncoats could be and had no idea if their lives were currently in danger. Everyone there had twitchy hands and were reaching for their guns until the female member on the wall spoke up.

"Enough! We don't know who the renegades are and shoot out in a small room like this is foolish, not to mention suicidal. Only two of us are traitors. That's something we can discuss after today's mission, but if someone acts suspicious, we kill them on the spot."

"You're heartless," the member on the opposite wall remarked.

"You haven't seen heartless, yet," she responded threateningly.

"...She's right. Discussing this now without knowing exactly who the traitors are does not but increase suspicion and lower our ability to stand together, something we can't lose when we're in our darkest hour," the standing member said.

His words were enough to calm everyone down enough to stop them from reaching for their weapons. The situation was less tense and the thought of traitors was simply put in the back of everyone's minds. The Greyhound Remnant that was standing walked to the room's door.

"Come on. We have a weapons deal with a new broker. We're supposed to meet him up north in Liberia. Once we get those, then we'll be able to take down Bianca, Silver, then anyone they associate with," he said, gaining the position of leader of the remnants.

 **Setting: Abandoned Factory**

The others followed him and the Greyhound Remnants left the building. All thirteen of them traversed through Libera using back alleys and avoiding any attention from the public before they reached their destination. The Greyhound leader brought his team to an abandoned, ramshackle factory. This is where they were to meet their new weapons dealer and pay for extra firepower. The members all entered the building, only to see that it looked worse on the inside than outside. There were mostly crates inside the building, with some of them destroyed or riddled with gun shots, and quite a large hole in the ceiling. It was the perfect place for a dirty deal to go down. All the members sat around, waiting for the dealer who was nowhere in sight.

"Where is he?" the Remnant leader asked in irritation.

"It's been five minutes. Is he coming or not?" the male member asked, now leaning against the factory door instead of a wall.

"He knows it's this location, right?" the female member asked, leaning against the door next to her fellow member.

"It should be here," the leader said as he pulled out his scroll to confirm his statement. "He said this place is where we'll meet our big break. I know it. Said this place has some sentimental value to him or something."

"Sentimental? Really?" the female member asked in a joking manner.

"Yeah, it's where we got back together," the male member next to her said. "This is where we fought and made up."

"Hmm, I guess you're right. This is where we started over and turned a new leaf," the female member responded.

The other members looked at the two leaning against the door, not sure what they were talking about.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" one of the members asked.

"Oh. Right. Should we end this charade?" the male member asked.

"Sure," the female member answered.

The two of them grabbed their Greyhound hood jackets and ripped them off. Without the garb hiding their faces, the members turned out to be Silver and Bianca. The two true renegade members looked at the Greyhound Remnants with grins while the crooks all had expressions of shock and fear. They held their guns at the two former members who only continued to grin at them.

"Wh-What! How! Where Are-"

"Your friends?" Bianca interrupted. "We were right about there being traitors among your ranks. They told us everything about you guys in exchange for being pardoned on all criminal charges."

"And you accepted their offer in order to get the drop on us," one of the members stated.

"Not really. Technically, they were supposed to discuss these terms with Bianca and she would make it happen. It's just too bad they ran into me and told me everything after a good old, back alley beat-down. They're in prison where they waiting for rest of you fodder to join them," Silver explained with a smirk.

"You bastards!" one of the members shouted in anger as he aimed his gun at them. "You ruined everything! Always ruining Greyhound's name! Just die already and meet your maker!" he opened fired and the others followed his example.

"You know NewDreamer?" Silver joked before taking action.

Silver quickly wrapped his arm around Bianca's waist and jumped high in the air to avoid the gunfire. He used Gravity to walk on the wall. Bianca instantly activated Stardust and her hair shined. Before the remnants could change the direction of their attack, Silver quickly used Gravity to make Bianca extremely light then tossed her in the air. She went through the air, high above the remnants with a trail of Stardust particles behind her. Before she landed on top of a crate, she pulled out Archangels and opened fired, attacking them from behind. Silver pulled Fenrir from their holsters and changed them to escrima sticks.

The remnants were shocked by Bianca's behind the back attack and turned around to deal with her, giving Silver the chance to strike close-up. He used Gravity to jump from the wall and quickly land on the ground between the remnant members when they were too busy trying to open fire on Bianca. He started his symphony by beating his metal sticks against the closest member then started bashing another. He smacked Fenrir against their arms, chest, legs and heads to deliver crushing damage before the ones further away from his position tried to shoot him.

"You know, for a group of people who want to take us down, you're not very good at, well it seems like you just aren't good at anything. This is cake. Maybe you should look into some career changes," Silver mocked while beating all of them senseless.

Silver jumped and flipped backwards to avoid the bullets while Bianca closed in and attacked them from behind using her bayonets. She maneuvered around all of them, dodging all their punches, kicks, and elbows while nicking and slashing them with her small blades. All while the particles following behind her began to spread all around the Greyhound Remnants without them taking notice.

Silver stayed back to watch his girlfriend clean house. He sat on top of a crate as he watched Bianca fight with a smile on her face and he couldn't help but grin himself. Seeing as how things were wrapping up, Silver pulled out a scroll and texted someone. When he finished, he noticed one of the remnants Bianca kicked away was getting up and about to shoot her gun at Bianca with her back turned. Silver quickly changed one of Fenrir to a gun and fired at her hand, effectively disarming the woman. Silver chuckled to himself, thinking Bianca might have been getting too lax in this fight, but knew he always had her back.

Bianca slashed and kicked all eleven members of what was left of Greyhound until they were bruised and tired. She jumped away and stood in front of the crate Silver was sitting on. The particles from Stardust was all around them and they knew exactly what a former elite member like Bianca was capable of. She held her gloved hand out in the snapping position.

"Do you surrender?" she asked tauntingly.

"Please don't. For my sake, please don't," Silver suggested.

None of them had the guts to speak up out fear of being hit by an unprovoked attack. One of them grew bold enough to pull their gun. Bianca snapped her fingers using the lightning dust in the glove. The Stardust cluster around them glowed yellow and transformed into lightning, electrocuting all of them badly. All members of Greyhound were on the ground and unconscious, effectively ending Greyhound for good.

Bianca turned to Silver asking, "Did you make the call?"

"Yeah, task force should be on their way to pick them up," Silver answered. He tossed Bianca's scroll back to her then jumped off the crate. The two of them walked toward the exit of the building feeling quite satisfied with the results of their infiltration.

"So, are we cool?" Bianca asked Silver.

"Frosty. I'm glad you decided to add me to your remnant problem instead of hiding it from me," Silver responded.

"It's not like I was keeping this from you because I didn't trust you. It's because you severed your ties with them, so you shouldn't have to worry about them anymore. That's why _I_ was dealing with this on my own," Bianca replied.

"You make it sound like you're a part of this team. We both broke free of this gang Bianca. We're free to make our own choices. You get that right?" Silver asked with his hand on the door.

"I know, but in the back of my head I… Sometimes it feels like you saved me from them instead of leaving on my own. I feel like I might not have been strong enough to break free like you did."

"Look around. This is where we fought way back when. Even though you were injured, I couldn't beat you and had to settle for a draw. Then you saw through Slate's lies and joined Clair. You've done a lot of things that shows you're strong, definitely stronger than me. That's how I feel at least," Silver said then opened the door.

Outside the factory were two task force transport trucks, a dozen task force troops with weapons and hand cuffs. Once they saw Bianca exit the building, they stormed inside to arrest the defeated Greyhound Remnants. Several troops walked up to Bianca and asked her questions or to receive orders about what to do next. Silver watched his girlfriend take charge and was impressed with her authority, feeling like he was right when he claimed she was strong.

He chuckled and Bianca noticed his small fit of amusement. "What's so funny?" she wondered.

"It's funny how you don't realize how much you've changed since our days in Greyhound. Once gang member, now authoritative figure in Fortuna. Just shows how you took the reins on life," Silver answered with a genuine smile.

Being around her fellow co-workers, Bianca couldn't display the amount of affection she wanted without losing her image, so she settled with giving Silver a peck on the cheek then a punch to the shoulder. He feigned pain, but smile the whole time.

"Same to you about taking charge Silver. Once a gang member, now a semi-respectable freelancer," Bianca stated before they watched the last remaining members of Greyhound enter the transport vehicle. "I don't think they'll think the same way."

"Nah. To them, we're just a couple of renegades. And I'm fine with that," Silver said with pride before wrapping his right arm around Bianca's shoulders.

She pinched his arm playfully, causing him to flinch and take his arm back. Silver looked at Bianca who had a teasing expression on her face. "Not while I'm working. When we get back to my place," she told him before going to the task force and instructing them on what to do next.

Silver looked on feeling pretty good about himself, Bianca, and how far they've come since their days in Greyhound.

* * *

 **Silver and Bianca have long since transcended their old themes. After finally severing all ties with Greyhound, Silver and Bianca will be the first ones to share a theme song. Renegade English Cover by TYERecords for Silver and Renegade English Cover by LeeandLie for Bianca. This song shows how the two of them are no longer bound by their past as Greyhound members and plan to move forward as masters of their own destiny. Silver has long since outgrown his old song, proving to be loyal to Team VRSZ and Bianca's long overdue for a new theme.**

 **Despite what happened to his shirt in the last chapter, Silver is wearing a spare that he keeps in his closet. However, he does have some scars on his arm where Tawny's blades pierced through so he keeps his arm wrapped in bandages beneath his clothes. He's the third member of VRSZ to have scars. Remus was the first with the scar across his head and the one near where his original eye used to be. Violet is the second with faint scars all over her body from fighting all around Remnant just to survive.**

 **Silver is the most talkative member of Team VRSZ. While the others are professional and don't talk a lot during battle, Silver will chat up his opponents for his own amusement or to distract his foes.**

 **Silver's room in their base is kind of like an average room for a young man, except for the bullet holes in the walls. He has a bed against a wall with a dresser to its left and a small bookcase to the right along with a black rug in the middle of the room. There weren't any books in the case, but spoils of war Silver has taken from adversaries on different missions that he'd prefer to keep in his room than place on the bookcase in the living room. Resting on the top shelf was a steel case with a four-digit lock and only Silver knows what it contains. Silver has a closet full of different clothes because he enjoys buying new clothes. He has a rack for his holster and guns when he doesn't want to carry them. He doesn't have a TV in his room, so it's still pretty empty. His room has a window so he could jump out and do things whenever he wants.**

 **There is only one insult you can say to Silver that will piss him off; "You shoot like a stormtrooper." He will pull a gun on that person and find very little reason not to fire.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: Sky Blue Suits You**

After the success of their bounty mission against the blind swordsman, Team VRSZ has been rolling in Lien. They were able to pay for the Fantasia's repairs, but the damage was extensive and the car needed to stay at Onyx's workshop, so for the time being, Team VRSZ had no wheels, basically, they were grounded and couldn't accept missions that took them too far from Fortuna. The team was able to enjoy some time off, but it couldn't last forever. Grayson and his group were succeeding in missions with little competition and that was bad for business. Whether they liked it or not, there was a rivalry between these two groups and if Grayson's team were doing better than them, then clients would prefer them over the freelancers which would mean less money for them. Two of the freelancers were currently on a mission to display to potential clients that they were still active.

Violet accepted a job from a client she named Mr. Muffin because he offered to buy her a muffin at the café they chose as rendezvous location. Despite the man's name, he was quite rude and demanding, ordering Violet to obtain any rare relics or artifacts found in some ancient ruins found in the desert or else she'll have him to deal with. Ordinarily, Violet would've remained silent and accepted the mission, thinking of all the possible ways she could've left him a bloody stump in his chair, but she wasn't alone in this meeting. When the man reached for Violet's muffin and was about to take a bite out of it to prove he was in control, the two of them heard the sound of slicing. Remus stood far away from them, standing against the wall on the other side of the fairly large café and holding Romulus in its staff form before putting it away. He never liked it when someone threatened his team. Mr. Muffin didn't know what he did until he felt the muffin in his hand split in half and looked dumbfounded with a hint of fear. Violet looked at the muffin hit the table then at Remus, noticing there was no blue smoke around him, meaning that was all his speed and she didn't see a thing. Mr. Muffin suddenly felt a stinging pain in his hand. His body didn't respond to it as soon as it happened, but Remus seemed to have cut his hand, leaving a small gash where blood was coming out. Mr. Muffin freaked out and asked for napkins while Violet got up to leave, informing Mr. Muffin that she'll accept the mission for double the pay because of his rude behavior. Remus joined her as they ignored the man's painful cursing.

 **Setting: Desert**

Without the use of their car, Team VRSZ had to use an alternate form of transportation, Remus. With the coordinates of the ruins in her scroll, Violet held onto Remus and told him which direction to use Checkpoint and easily covered the distance with teleportation. It proved useful and the scope of his cybernetic eye helped them teleport farther than his usual distance. They would be able to reach their destination in a fashionable time, but Violet felt like they needed to talk.

"So, are you okay with using your semblance like this? I don't want you to think you're a substitute for a vehicle or anything like that," she told Remus.

"No, it's not really a problem," Remus answered, but his voice lacked his usual energy and Violet noticed immediately.

"…You didn't have to attack Mr. Muffin like that. He's a client and I could've handled it myself," Violet chided herself for saying that last part like she didn't need his help. "What I mean is…"

"I know what you mean Violet," Remus said before teleporting one last time till they were in walking distance of their destination. "But if someone I like is being threatened, I'll act. That's just me. That guy just made me angry for a second."

Violet was relieved to hear him say he was alright and to see his usual demeanor return. She hasn't seen a gloomy Remus in a long time and doesn't plan to see one now. The two of them walked to an old, stone building that looked long passed its prime. It seemed to only consist of an entrance and was the only one there seeing as how nothing but stone and rubble was around it.

"Hey, Violet. We're not alone," Remus informed her. He pointed to a doom buggy that was parked near the entrance.

"Great, competition. Someone else probably hired bandits to steal what's here," Violet stated.

"Maybe we can convince the people down there to work with us and split the treasure?" Remus suggested.

Violet looked at him like he was crazy. Negotiating with mercenaries, bounty hunters, or anyone in Vacuo was a foolish choice. She learned this very early when she started living in Vacuo that you can't trust everyone.

"You're looking at me like it was a bad idea," Remus said while Violet looked at him.

"Ah! Um… No, it wasn't. It's just…" Violet didn't know what to say because she did think it was a bad idea. She always had a soft spot for Remus and preferred to teach him about things rather than berate him in any way. He wasn't sarcastic, callous, a jerk or hide any ill thoughts about anyone or anything behind a fake smile. He was something Violet really envied, honest and she really liked that about him, so she never liked the moments when she had to be a little strict with him.

"Zelts and Silver thought the same thing. Zelts said it's a good idea, but not everyone's going to go for it. Silver called me dumb-…. Uh, foolish," Remus substituted instead of using the word Silver used.

Violet made a mental note to kick Silver's ass later today. "He shouldn't have said that. Remus, there's nothing wrong with your way of thinking, just know everyone shares those values, especially in Vacuo where things like theft and assault are so common it's pretty much law. What I'm trying to say is it's okay to look for the best in people, but you've also got to keep an eye out for the worst in them. You understand?" Violet asked kindly.

Remus looked at her with a slight frown at first but changed to his usual expression when he answered with a nod. Violet hoped he understood for the time being at least because they had to go to work. She didn't who they would encounter in the temple.

 _"_ _This shouldn't be much of a problem. Me and Remus, we can take on almost anything,"_ she thought before walking to the entrance of the temple.

 **Setting: Underground Temple**

The insides of the temple ruin were intact but didn't seem to be stable and a good rocking might cause the whole thing to collapse. Violet told Remus to keep a mental note of the entrance in his mind so they could make an instant escape using Checkpoint. The underground temple turned out to be some kind of labyrinth. It wasn't large, but there were a plethora of tunnels that lead to dead ends. The Cloak & Dagger duo ran into several and it was getting on Violet's last nerve. Remus suggested they'd mark the dead ends somehow and she agreed, planting her Enigma's into the ground in front of areas they've already been. It proved to be useful when they marked the wrong hallways to go through and Remus teleporting them back to where they started made it so much faster.

The two of them walked down to another fork in the road, but this one was different compared to the ones they encountered before. One entrance was marked with something odd, a robot corpse that seemed to serve no purpose except lay in front of the entrance on the left. Violet assumed whoever arrived earlier decided to the same thing they did earlier and mark the dead ends. Remus eyed the robot corpse with suspicion then kicked it to see if it would react.

Violet giggled at his antics then said, "Come on. Let's get moving."

The two of them continued going deeper into the ruins, following the trail of robot corpses while Violet had to practically drag Remus away from each one. Everyone was aware of his dislike of machines, but this was the first time it began to grind Violet's gears a little, but it brought the question about who uses discarded robots as a trail. Violet and Remus walked down one last hallway before entering a massive chamber filled with treasures. The floor couldn't be seen because it was beneath a sea of gold coins. There were jewels and gemstones everywhere as well, along with other trinkets that could be sold for a high price, but those things weren't the only eye' catcher in the chamber.

Inside the chamber were the people who entered before Violet and Remus. Violet was hoping to come to some random treasure hunting bandits, but that option flew out the window when she saw it was none other than Grayson and his group. With him was Azura, who intensely glared at Remus, Platinum, someone neither Violet or Remus thought they'd see again but would explain the robots, and there was someone new that they've never seen before.

This person was a young boy. He was kind of short in stature and wore a white Gi jacket with pale red lining. He had a pair of pants that were a darker shade of red with white flame designs on the legs and red ninja leggings. His hair was white that reached down past his chin and his eyes were pale red, giving it a pink look. Wrapped around his waist was a chain and at the end of it was some kind lantern with a small fire inside it. Another trait that stood out was the long white fox tail, showing this person was a faunus.

"Oh, if it isn't Violet and her… Hmm. You just brought one of your boy-toys today?" Grayson commented. "Or was this supposed to be your idea of a date?"

"Son of a bitch," Violet said when she realized it was Grayson and that they were outnumbered. She knew very well that they wouldn't be able to avoid a fight against them and they were at a huge disadvantage. Not only were they outnumbered, but the addition of the faunus meant an unknown variable. If it were anyone else, then she would've tried to make a compromise, but Grayson wasn't one for compromise.

"Violet! Remus!" Platinum shouted with a smile on her face. "It's good to see you again! Can we meet up for lunch or go to a tea shop and catch up after this?" she said with her crazy demeanor that the freelancers remembered.

"Platinum," Remus acknowledged then looked to his relative. "Azura."

Azura remained silent as she glared at her cousin with a stern expression. It didn't take long for the two Cobalts, Violet, or Grayson to realize what's going to happen next. A battle between Cobalts. Violet thought about running away but knew Remus wasn't going to back down against Azura. She wanted him dead while his feelings toward her were always unclear. Violet would have to pull out everything she had for them to safely get out of here.

"Go to town," Grayson said, giving Azura the word to attack and she did.

Azura lunged for Remus, running across the gold coins to get to them, and Remus drew Romulus and shot out its blades. Violet acted first and threw several Enigmas at Azura, but she deflected them with her elemental staff. The throwing knives that were deflected had fire dust in the hilts and they exploded behind Azura, propelling her forward in the air. Remus used Checkpoint to teleport in front of her then delivered a strong solid kick to her gut, pushing her back a good distance away.

"Platinum, you give her support. Shiranui, gather as much stuff as you can so we can leave," Grayson ordered.

Platinum ran toward the battle with a mad smile and crazed enthusiasm. Shiranui eyed Grayson before doing as he said. "What will you do?" he asked in a soft voice.

Grayson cracked his knuckles while looking at Violet move in to strike Azura with Remus. "I'm gonna buy you some time then blow this place to kingdom come."

"Very well," Shiranui responded and transformed into some kind of white mist-like substance. The mist moved away from Grayson who drew his grapple sword.

Azura and Remus clashed their weapons against each other and they were locked in combat. Azura looked at him with intense hatred while Remus' eyes were just focused. Violet jumped in the air above Remus then threw a few Enigmas at her, forcing Azura to back away. While backing away from the freelancers, Azura activated the fire dust in her arms to hurl multiple, small fireballs at them. Remus was hit by three of them and Violet was hit by two before tossing a wind dust Enigma in the way of the attack. Wind burst out of the knife and swirled around herself and Remus while blowing out the fireballs out. Remus moved in to attack Azura, but a large ball of energy hit the golds coin in front of him, stopping his advance.

"Ahahahaha!" Platinum's laughing could be heard by everyone in the chamber.

Her cybernetic arm was a large cannon before it transformed into its base arm form. Violet and Remus could see that the mad genius not only built herself new appendages but made some noticeable and considerable upgrades to them.

Remus channeled the dust energy in Romulus so he could defeat her as he did in the past. Azura channeled ice dust in her arms and spread it to her elemental staff, coating it in ice until it looked like a battle ax. She charged for Remus and Violet did the same, pulling out her kukris and activating the fire dust in their hilts to cloak the blades in flames. Remus teleported away before Azura could attack him and was covered in his blue smoke. Violet ran right through the smoke and kicked Azura in the head, knocking her into the gold coins before she got up again to face Violet. She considered Violet to be the only obstacle in her way if she wanted to kill Remus.

Remus used Checkpoint to teleport in front of Platinum. He quickly swung Romulus in double-bladed staff form, aiming at Platinum's legs to remove her literal foothold, but his blade didn't go through her metal legs, but only went through a little bit of her left leg. He was confused and thought he was literally losing edge until Platinum spoke up.

"I remember what happened last time we met and how you took me down in an instant. My new toys are made from the most durable reinforced alloy just for you."

Platinum aimed her plasma cannon arm at Remus' face while Romulus was still stuck in her leg and he tried to get it out. She had her arm fully charged while she was talking and fired a large, powerful energy blast in his face, sending him sliding across the gold coins until he slammed against the wall. The point-blank attack did a massive amount of damage to his aura. Romulus was still lodged in Platinum's arm and she pulled it out with a smile. The cobalt glow on the edges of the blades was still there as she held it in her hand.

"Ah!" was the sound she made as she admired Dr. Lupa's craftsmanship.

She stuck her tongue out and was about to lick the edge of the blade, just to feel a new sensation, but Grayson jumped over her, snatching Romulus from her grasp as he ran toward Remus while he was still on the ground. Remus almost got up until he saw one of Greyson's fire dust bombs roll in front of him. It exploded, engulfing Remus in flames and lowering his aura even further. He fell to the ground with his head down, not noticing Greyson in the air above him. Greyson brought out his knee and purposely landed on Remus' right leg. The impact broke through his aura and caused him to scream in tremendous pain.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Remus shouted as he clutched his leg.

The sound of his painful cry caught the attention of Violet and Azura who were originally too occupied in their own bout. They both stopped to see Greyson and Platinum stand over a defeated, writhing Remus. Neither of them tried to attack the other when they looked at the defeated Cobalt. Instead, both Violet and Azura ran toward the scene together with different thoughts in mind. Violet ran to protect her teammate and friend while Azura ran to prevent him from dying by anyone else's hand but hers. Apparently, Azura's drive to keep Remus alive was stronger than Violet's desire to save him because she reached them first.

Greyson Remus' head and was about to stab him in the neck with his own weapon, but Azura attacked him from behind. She used the ice dust in her left leg to coat it in a thick layer of ice then kicked Greyson's hand, disarming him of Romulus and surprising him altogether. Azura used wind dust in both her arms to create compressed air in the palm of her hands then shot the air at Greyson and Platinum, violently blasting them away from her and Remus. Greyson landed on his feet and Platinum purposely feel on her butt because she felt like it.

"Hahahahaha! She's a riot!" Platinum said with a gleeful expression.

Grayson on the hand was not amused by Azura's actions. _"What the hell is that dumb bitch doing?"_ he thought while he grimaced.

Remus looked up to see Azura was standing above him this time with her elemental staff covered in ice. She had it in the shape of an icy spear with the head pointed at his heart. He looked at her in surprise, seeing she was actually going to kill him. Azura was going to impale him, but she forgot about Violet who had her eyes set on the one trying to kill one of her boys. Violet didn't hesitate slash Azura's sides with her flaming kukris then kneed her in the gut before slashing her blades against her back. Violet was going to attack her again, but Azura was quick enough to block her flaming knives with her elemental that was cloaked in flames instead of ice. The two parried each other's attacks in their bout. Violet found an opening and kicked Azura in the stomach then Azura moved Violet's leg aside to punch her in the face. Remus tried to get up and fight, but he couldn't. Grayson's blow to his leg bruised it very badly, swelling up and making it very painful for him to put any pressure on his leg. He did his best to stand up, his leg trembling as he ignored the pain.

Platinum watched their battle with a smile while she let her arm cannon charge. Grayson's face was on the battle, but his mind was elsewhere. He was thinking about Azura and her strong desires to kill Remus was useful at first, but now proved to be problematic and probably won't be the only time. Grayson came to a decision right when a pure white mist appeared before transforming into Shiranui. The faunus had several pouches of gold in his hands when he stood next to Grayson, showing his job collecting treasure was a complete success.

"Mission complete Grayson. What is our next objective?" Shiranui asked respectfully.

"We're done here. Let's go," Grayson told him and Platinum.

The trio headed for the chamber's door while the freelancers and Azura were too occupied to notice them. Shiranui left first, transforming back into a mass of mist then flew out of the area. Grayson was going to leave until Platinum said something to him.

"What about Azura? And the freelancers?" Platinum asked.

"Do your thing, Platinum," Grayson answered and Platinum was feeling a heat burning inside her.

She aimed her arm cannon at Azura while she was still in an intense battle with Violet. The weapon was fully charged and Platinum fired with zero concern of who it would hit. The powerful, massive bolt of energy soared through the air till it reached to the side of the chamber the others were fighting. Azura and Violet noticed Platinum's attack, but Violet acted first, pushing Azura into the path of the bolt. It reached her, but Azura moved out of the way, just barely dodging the orb of condensed plasma energy, but she didn't get out of it unscathed. The orb hit the wall right behind her and exploded. The blast was very powerful and large, dispersing energy all around and hitting Azura who was too close. She was flung further away and her aura was broken.

Platinum's attack was strong enough to destroy the wall and shake the chamber, causing the entire underground temple to begin collapsing. Grayson and Platinum didn't hesitate to abandon Azura and run for the exit, not before Grayson tossed some dust bombs at the chamber's entrance. They exploded to cause the rubble around to fall and block the only entrance and exit of the chamber.

Violet looked around as the walls and ceiling began to crumble with sand starting to come through. They really needed to get out of there or be buried alive. She leaned down to Remus who was only able to get on one knee due to his leg being badly bruised, but she knew he didn't need it for Checkpoint. As long as he remembered the location of the entrance of the ruins, they should be fine. Violet quickly scooped up some jewels to satisfy their client before booking it.

"Come on Remus! Let's get out of here now!" she told Remus.

He looked at a defeated Azura with sympathetic eyes. She tried to kill him, like always. Every encounter they had has always been a fight. Azura trying to kill him as revenge for her parents against his mother while Remus fought her out of self-defense. He thought somewhere down the line they would stop fighting and become allies, but there was something else Remus wanted out of her.

"Remus!" Violet shouted, stirring him out of his thoughts.

Remus used Checkpoint and the chamber collapsed.

 **Setting: Temple Ruins**

The entrance to the underground temple collapsed and was reduced to rubble. Grayson's doom buggy was nowhere to be seen, indicating he and his team made it out alive and have already left. A cloud of blue smoke appeared then dispersed in front of what used to be the entrance with Violet, Remus, and Azura landing in the sand. The freelancers were able to leave with their lives with Violet sitting on the ground and Remus lying in the sand.

Azura was unconscious when she was teleported to the entrance, but she started to open her eyes. The first thing she saw was the blue sky of Vacuo, the same sky she was named after. She scanned her surroundings and noticed Remus was laying down near her. She came to the conclusion that he saved her life when her so-called teammates abandoned her. She still had her staff in hand but didn't know what to do next or what to think. Remus glanced over to his cousin's face to see an expression of betrayal and confusion and felt pity for her. Without Grayson's team combined Remus' heroic act, she felt lost.

Remus heard footsteps and looked over to see Violet approach Azura with her kukris and an intense face. He was worried because he knew what she was going to do. Azura looked at Violet as well, watching her approach her with her weapons in hand and the Cobalt female was terrified for the first time in a long time. She flinched away, closing her eyes and waiting for Violet to finish her, but it never came. Azura opened her eyes to see Remus' back. He tried to stand between Violet and Azura, forcing his leader to stop her advance but fell down on one knee.

Violet looked at her youngest member with a confused look. "What are you doing? Get out of the way," she told him, but Remus wouldn't budge.

Remus told Violet something he probably has never told her in his life. "No."

His response shocked both women, but Violet more because Remus wasn't one for disobedience. Out of all the freelancers, out of all her boys, Remus would always listen to her commands as the leader. For the first time ever, he defied Violet.

"Why? She's dangerous and a serious threat to you! Leaving her alive while only cause us more trouble in the future. Remus, move aside," Violet ordered with a little more force in her voice.

"No," he said with a little more force in his voice as well.

"…I'm sorry Remus," Violet told him. She put one kukri in its holster and used her free hand to gently move him aside.

She brought her hand up to do just that, but Remus did something unexpected. He brought out Romulus and pointed its blade at Violet, showing that he was willing to fight her over this, even though he didn't stand a chance in his current condition. Unlike the two Cobalts, Violet's aura was greater than both of them combined and was still able to fight. Azura was left speechless by his actions. She didn't know what to think right now, but one thing she did was drop her elemental staff, either out of a change of heart or due to fatigue. She couldn't tell.

Violet was emotionally hurt that Remus would draw his blade against her for an enemy and it showed on her face. She knew there was no way he could put up a fight, but was willing to do it anyway for Azura's sake. His defiance didn't anger her in the slightest, but it made Violet sad and confused. She could easily wipe the floor with him in his injured state, but she was sure that he would never forgive her if she did anything to Azura and Violet would never forgive herself if she harmed him just to complete an objective. Any further action would make her feel like the villain and she didn't want that. Remus was clearly adamant about not letting her do anything to Azura, but she didn't understand why. So, she asked him.

"Why? Why are you protecting someone who wants to kill you?"

"…Because… I don't want her killed," he answered, still holding his blade at Violet.

Azura was silent as she looked at Remus' back. She didn't know what he meant when he answered Violet.

"What do you mean by that Remus?" Violet asked because she wanted to understand her teammate's feelings.

"I'm not foolish or dumb. I know she wants me dead. I've always been aware of that every time we've meet and fight, but that doesn't mean I want the same thing. Azura," Remus called to her to get her attention.

"You told me my mother banished your parents because of a disagreement and they still died for her. That's why you hate her and me for being her son. I don't know everything or anything about what happened back then, but I do know this, I'm not my mother," Remus told his relative.

"I don't think of you as an outcast, banished Cobalt, or an enemy. I never did and I don't want you to think of me as my mother, the person who caused you so much pain. We don't have to be enemies because of our parents not seeing things the same way. Even if you don't feel that way, know that I do and will never try to kill you, no matter how you feel about me. I am your family and will always meet you halfway until you're ready to do the same," Remus told Azura.

She didn't know what to say. Remus let his true feelings about her out and she was flabbergasted. Azura thought he truly hated her and was hiding it behind a false smile, but now she understands that his smile wasn't false at all. Remus was being something he has always been, honest. Azura began to rethink her previous desire to kill him. His words reached her and she could feel her hatred and drive fading away. She starting to feel relieved Remus felt this way but also felt horrible that she couldn't see it after all this time and it took Grayson abandoning her and Remus saving her to realize that.

Violet looked at Remus with sorrowful eyes. Remus truly wanted to save Azura and was willing to go to a lot of lengths to do that. His unwavering conviction was enough for Violet to put her kukri back into its holster. She walked toward Remus, kneeled to put herself under his arms, and helped him walk away from the rubble.

"Okay, Remus. If this is what you want, I'll leave Azura alone," Violet told him with genuine kindness and understanding.

She placed him down, sitting him against a rock before walking over to Azura. When she stood before the female Cobalt, she could admit all her hostile feelings toward Azura weren't gone, but she just told Remus she wouldn't harm her. Violet carried Azura away from the temple and sat her next to Remus. Violet sat on top of the stone the two Cobalts leaned against. Without the Fantasia and Remus being injured, the only thing they could do for now was to wait and recover until he felt strong enough to use Checkpoint to travel around. Violet came to realize the doom buggy that was parked out here belonged to Grayson and she really wished she slashed his tires just to spite him.

"Sorry for being foolish," Remus said out of nowhere.

Violet and Azura looked to him, but Violet knew he was speaking to her. He was reflecting on what they were talking about before the mission started and she picked up on that. Going against her orders, refusing to eliminate an enemy, then helping that enemy back on their feet was against everything she told him today. He was aware of it and felt like he was letting her down by following through with his ideas.

"Remus, you're not a fool for putting your trust in people, those people are fools for betraying that trust," Violet informed him and he looked up to see her. "You made the right call here. And stopped a fool like me from making a bad one."

"Really?" Remus asked and Violet nodded. He felt much better about his actions today.

Violet came up with an idea to help Remus heal his leg. She took out a Chesire's Enigma with ice dust and activated it. Ice was expelling from the knife, covering it till the ice was shaped like a block. She lifted Remus' pants leg and placed the ice on the bruised area to help with the swelling and ease the pain. Azura lifted her head up, looking up at the cloudless sky to feel at peace. The injuries she sustained from Platinum's plasma cannon were still there, but sky gazing made her forget about the pain and it put her mind at ease.

"You're named after the sky, right?" Remus asked his relative which broke her out of her trance.

"…Yeah," she answered as softly as she could. Her view of Remus changed and she didn't know the right tone to casually hold a conversation with him.

"Sky blue… It suits you," Remus said with a smile as he looked up at the sky.

Azura felt flustered by the compliment. No one has said something so nice about her name since her parents. She felt very happy inside and it showed in the form of a small smile. Violet watched her from above and noticed her expression. She was relieved. It didn't seem like she had to worry about Azura again when this was over. The Sky-Blue Warrior was no longer their enemy.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

After an hour or so passed when the three of them to their momentary reprieve. Finally, well enough to move, Remus was able to use Checkpoint to take them all to civilization. The three of them teleported across the desert until they reached Fortuna's border. Azura looked at the place Remus and his friends called home but didn't know this is where they lived. In her mind, she didn't think of this place as their home, but rather the place they chose to stop. She heard many things about this advanced settlement, but wasn't anything she expected it to be.

This was where Azura and the freelancers parted ways. Violet was fine with taking her to Fortuna, but she thought it was a best if they refrained from informing her that this is where they lived. Remus agreed to this and Violet left to meet with their client about the success of their mission, but to also give these two some space. Azura glanced at Remus and he smiled at her, showing this was really happening.

"Remus… um…" she didn't know how to say what she needed to say, but Remus understood completely.

"It's okay, I forgive you. Even though there was never any bad blood between us," Remus told her.

"You're right. I was just angry with your mother and took it out on- I'm sorry!" she finally said, feeling a huge weight being lifted off her chest. She could look at her sole remaining relative straight in the eyes and not feel guilty anymore.

"What are you going to do now? Not go back to Grayson, right?" Remus asked with concern.

Azura chuckled before saying, "No. That partnership has proven to be too hazardous for me. For now, I'll stay the night here. I'll be on my way tomorrow."

Remus wanted to ask her to stay a little longer so they could bond but remembered that Violet didn't want her knowing that Fortuna was their actual hometown, so he had to let her go. He smiled and nodded, showing her agreed with her idea, then put out his hand for her to shake.

"Maybe we'll see each other again?" Remus asked optimistically. He truly did want to have a proper relationship with his last living relative.

Azura smiled at him and chuckled before shaking his hand. "I'd like that. And next time, I can teach you a few things about your lineage," Azura told him.

"Hmm. I guess I'll see you next time. Uh, see ya," Remus said before using Checkpoint to teleport out of there, not giving away that he or his teammates lived in Fortuna.

Azura still held her smile when he left to who knows where. "Hope you find a less frightening girlfriend when I see you," she said to herself.

She left to find a place to stay for the night and as she said, she was gone the day after. Remus watched her from above a nearby building. He was kind of upset she did leave but was glad they finally left on good terms. He made a friend and had a family member out in the world of Remnant.

 _"Wait. Girlfriend?"_ he wondered what she meant by that.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Violet found Silver playing video games in the living room with Zelts and remembered what he said to Remus. She walked by them then punched Silver in the back of the head, but not with all her strength, just enough to make a point. The unexpected hit surprised Silver and pushed his body forward. It also made him lose the game when he was so close to winning for once. Zelts looked at Violet curiously and Silver turned around with a confused expression. Violet said nothing as she rubbed her fist against her chest then blow on it.

"What the hell was that for?!" Silver shouted mostly in surprise than anger.

"That's for calling Remus a dumbass, jackass," she answered then left.

Silver looked to Zelts for an explanation. Zelts was pretty sure Silver deserved it, like most times when random people come out of nowhere and hit him.

* * *

 **Azura figured out Fortuna is Team VRSZ's home. She plans to keep it a secret in honor of their potential friendship.**

 **Azura's theme song is Endless Possibilities Cover by Falk. The lyrics of the song explain Azura turning a new leaf and finding out what to do next with her life. Her new journey is very similar to Remus' when Lupa freed him from the New World Project, wanting him to live life any way he wants. Now it's Azura's turn to explore Remnant, learn about herself, and walk her own path.**

 **After some time, Grayson's group of mercenaries were given a name by the people who heard of them and the ones who hired them. They've been named the Ravagers due to most of the missions they accept involve destruction, attacking people, and assassinations. Not to mention the aggressive nature of the group.** **We have Team VRSZ as Freelancers, Clair's Enforcers, and Grayson's Ravagers. The three different factions in the Team VRSZ series.**

 **Shiranui is a kitsune faunus with a white and red color scheme. His name in Japanese means unknown fire and is considered a supernatural phenomenon or optical illusion similar to will-o-the-wisp. His motif is that of ghostly flames which are seen in his clothing, weapon, and semblance. His weapon is a chained whip with a ball at the end being a lantern with a flame lit inside, and for unknown reasons, it's blue. He uses it for combat and exploring. His semblance is called Wisp and it allows him to transform his body into white smoke. This allows him to travel through the air, slip through the tiniest cracks, and remain completely immune to physical attacks, but he can't attack in this form. His faunus species is that of the mythical kitsune, a cunning fox spirit with magical abilities. Shiranui isn't the best at combat but makes up for it with his cunning and tactics, which is why Grayson recruited him into the Ravagers.**

 **Remus' Checkpoint is a rare semblance, but he made it powerful and versatile by being imaginative. Distance is never a problem, but he can't use it back to back repeatedly or he'll get nauseous, dizzy, and likely to throw up. Activation of Checkpoint doesn't depend on Remus' body, but his brain. If he's dazed or shocked enough, he'll either teleport somewhere randomly or not at all.**

 **The greatest insult or meanest thing Remus could ever say to anyone is "I'm not your friend."**

 **Remus' room is pretty normal. There's a bed with light blue sheets and dark blue blanket, a dresser filled with his clothes, and a desk with several game consoles on top of it. He was the only one on the team with a television in his room but used it to play games when he wanted to play in his room or when the living room T.V was occupied. Next to his desk is a tool chest filled with tools he uses to fine-tune Romulus and it's free for the others to borrow. Friendly by nature, Remus usually leaves his room door open for anyone to enter, showing he doesn't have anything to hide. This means he doesn't hide any secrets from the others, but it's a pain if he leaves it open when he's changing clothes. He has a window in his room and leaves the blinds open to let in the light.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Author's Notes: This chapter will be posted earlier than planned as well as the next chapter which will probably be posted tomorrow or the day after. I will be going on a family cruise vacation through the Caribbean for Thanksgiving and won't be posting or working on new chapters for at least a week. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! **

* * *

**Chapter 36: Big Brothers**

 **Setting: The Back Alleys of Fortuna**

The moon's light illuminated the night with the stars decorating the sky. Many of Fortuna's denizens were sleeping during this time while others remained active. Some citizens walked around to the local late-night establishments, like C.P., who was drinking and failing to pick up chicks at almost every bar. Others were busy with work. Clair was finishing the last of the documents she had to review and Bianca refused to leave her side until she finished. Sterling remained in Moneta for anyone accepting jobs at this hour. It was his last week of work before retiring and he wanted to complete it flawlessly. Onyx was working on pet project inventions and lost track of time. Violet was awake, sitting in her bed, reading her comic books, and checking her scroll for any freelancer missions while her boys slept soundly in their beds. And many people stayed up because they simply prefer night over day, like Blood who soared through the desert with his magnificent bat wings and pleased expression.

There was one person out tonight that didn't have a content experience. Crawling through the back alleys in Liberia was the oldest of the Vermilion Siblings, Redd with a solemn expression. After his battle with Violet, Remus, and Silver, defeat and arrest of Vermilion and Vermilya, including his strategic retreat, things have been going poorly for him. Clair alerted her task force to attack and apprehend him on sight then sent out a bounty on his head to entice other scoundrels to turn him in, forcing him out of Fortuna for several weeks until his return. Redd had very few allies, except for the very family locked up in Fortuna's prison. He considered them complete failures, but they were family, meaning they would help him regardless of his circumstances. Their family bond will be enough for them to follow and the fact that he planned to break them out would boost his chances even more.

Redd remained hidden in Fortuna for several reasons; The first was to break his siblings out of prison. Second was to escape out of Fortuna with them so they could live to fight another day. Third, and the most important, was to crush Violet, Remus, and Silver in the name of vengeance. Redd felt like they needed to be destroyed after their last encounter forced him to run away as well as forcing him to go to such lengths for the siblings he considered pathetic. He had it all planned and was going to act soon.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

It was the beginning of a new day in Vacuo with the sun in the sky, unleashing its harsh rays on its soil. During this time of day, Team VRSZ could be found doing outdoor training. In their front yard, Remus was doing push-ups but with a twist. Sitting on his back with his legs crossed was Silver, eating a burrito and using Gravity to increase his mass in order to make Remus' job that much harder. The young man was sweating profusely with Silver on his back, but he didn't seem to stop.

Silver finished his burrito and looked down at his friend saying, "Slowing down? After three hundred straight? Come on, I thought you were trained to break human limits? Quit holding back and keep going."

Remus grunted as he continued his workout, with Silver's words pushing him to keep going. Violet and Zelts were doing their own thing in the garage with the door open to give them some extra room. Zelts and Violet were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Zelts threw punches Violet's way, but she bobbed and weaved out each of them then delivered quick, precise strikes to his arms and chest. When Violet jabbed Zelts' side, he quickly grabbed her arm and kept a firm grip. Despite his size, Zelts moved quick and his reflexes were just as sharp. He landed a solid punch against Violet's gut and it knocked her to the ground. She quickly recovered by wrapping her legs against one of his then twisted it, forcing Zelts to the ground as well. Violet got on top of Zelts to pin him.

"Very good Violet. You're win," Zelts congratulated.

"You say that, but we both know you could've done much more. Don't hold back for my sake," Violet said as she got off of him then helped him up.

In terms of hand-to-hand combat, Violet was the best on the team. Against Zelts, she was superior in speed and precision, but he easily bested her in sheer strength. A couple hits from him would've ended in her defeat. Zelts was a brawler and a formidable foe up close. Even if this was a sparring match, Zelts was holding back, a lot.

"You're probably right, but I'd prefer to only do as much as necessary. I'm not one for overdoing it when it comes to sparring with friends."

"If you say so, but we both know you can do so much more if you put your mind to it. Promise that you'll do so in actual battle."

"Always," Zelts answered in confidence.

Silver peeked into the garage through the large open door and casually said, "Hey guys! I think Remus is dead."

Violet and Zelts walked out of the garage to the front yard to see Remus lying face first in the sand and wasn't moving.

"What did you do?" Violet asked exasperated.

Zelts went over to help Remus up. When he carried him to the front porch, he noticed Remus' face was drenched in sweat and covered in sand. Zelts went inside to get his exhausted friend a towel and a bottle of water. While he was doing that, Violet and Silver began their own sparring match, a duel between a deadly martial artist and a dirty street fighter. The fight started with Silver doing his usual dirty tactic of kicking sand into his opponent's eyes, but Violet has seen him do this enough time to know turn her body around so the sand only hit her back. She then quickly moved to his side and delivered a kick to his shoulder. Silver retaliated by pushing her leg off him then throwing a punch at her, but she grabbed his fist before it could hit her face.

Zelts returned to his friends outside to see the usual treatment Violet was giving Silver. She stood behind him, bending his arm with a devious smile.

"Ow! Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow! Okay, Okay! I'm sorry! Sorry Remus!" Silver painfully said to a fatigued Remus while Violet bent his arm.

"And?" Violet coaxed. "Say it."

"U..le," Silver mumbled and Violet lifted his arm higher.

"I can't hear you," she said in sing-song tone that sugar coated her sadistic pleasure.

"Uncle!" Silver said and Violet let go.

"Here you go buddy," Zelts said to Remus as he handed him the towel and water.

"Thank you," Remus said as took both items. He wiped his face with the towel first then drank some of the water.

"Four hundred push-ups. Impressive," Violet complimented.

Someone walked up to their house and leaned on the chain fence. They all looked to see the visitor was Ghost. Silver got over the pain in his arm quickly to converse with his friend. "Hey Ghost what are you doing here? Here to workout with us? If you want, you can use me as a dumbbell and do curls. Gravity does the rest and-"

"I'm not here for a casual visit Silver. I have a small job that needs to be done and I'd like Zelts' help with it."

Ghost's request surprised the team because they weren't planning on accepting any jobs today. From any random client, they would've declined, but seeing as this was a friend, they might think differently. Either way, the offer was for Zelts, so it was his to accept or turn down.

"What do you need me to do?" Zelts asked the enforcer.

"There's some inspection of Fortuna's prison. Something about possible breakouts and the staff there want me to review their security and all that technical stuff and report back to Clair. I doubt anything will go wrong, but Clair insisted I ask for some backup," Ghost explained in his usual unenthusiastic tone.

"Doesn't sound so bad. Heck, I'll go instead and we can just hang out," Silver offered, but Ghost declined.

"Sorry, but if something does go south, I'd like to have the big guy. Plus, out of all of you, he's the only one who doesn't look like he belongs behind bars. No offense," Ghost stated.

"Some taken," Violet answered, feeling a little insulted.

"How about it Zelts? Want to play bodyguard for some easy Lien?" Ghost offered and Violet answered for him.

"He'd love to!" Violet answered in his steed. She approached Ghost and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Now let's talk about his fee."

"You do realize Violet is pimping you, right?" Silver jokingly asked Zelts.

"She has the purple clothes to match," Zelts answered then returned to Remus.

The young Cobalt was still sitting on the front porch and finished the last of the bottled water. Zelts checked on him with a warm smile while Violet and Ghost discuss the bill. It was during moments like this that Zelts showed his big brother tendencies to his teammates. He was always looking out for everyone and making sure they were out of harm's way. It's what he has always done.

"You feeling better Remus?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks for your help," Remus answered, fully recovered.

"Alright! Everything's settled," Violet told Zelts now that she finished speaking with Ghost. "Zelts. You're going on a field trip to Fortuna's prison."

"Very well. Since I'm going out, anything you guys need while I'm out?" Zelts offered.

"This isn't a shopping trip," Ghost muttered, but no one heard him.

"Nah, I'm good. Get going," Silver told him.

"Doughnut holes for me, please," Violet asked and Zelts acknowledged with a nod.

"Then I'll be off," Zelts said as he picked up Heart of Gold and walked over to Ghost.

"Better bring home that money," Violet said then slapped Zelt's backside.

"Now she's a pimp," Silver said to Remus.

"What's a pimp?" Remus asked.

 **Setting: Prison**

Zelts and Ghost arrived to Fortuna's prison, standing on the outside before entering the facility. Zelts had the feeling of déjà vu and he knew why. This was just like the time Clair asked him to watch Copper Periwinkle as he tried to pick up prison women. He hoped this time won't result in a prisoner escaping and the event would be peaceful. Zelts desire for a peaceful visit might not happen because he could hear something from the inside, faint ranting could be heard. He glanced over at Ghost who sighed in annoyance, showing this was probably a regular thing here.

The prison guards outside opened the doors to let the two of them inside and the shouting was even louder.

"HE WILL GET US OUT! YOU HERE ME! I KNOW OUR BROTHER'S GONNA BREAK US OUT ANYTIME. AND YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT COMING! RIGHT SISTER?!"

Zelts recognized this was Vermilion shouting and it echoed all around the prison. The guards, staff, and prisoners didn't seem too bothered by his volume, showing that this has happened enough for them to get used to it. Ghost and Zelts were met by the warden of the prison. He told them that they needed Ghost to relay to Clair the new security measures they wanted to establish. Basically, they were escorted around the prison by the warden and he explained where they needed some improvements. The warden was worried over rumors of a potential breakout and wanted to make sure something like that could be prevented. The whole time they could hear Vermilion's rambling about how Redd was going to break them out.

"MY BROTHER'S COMING FOR US AND HE'LL MAKE ALL YOU DIRTBAGS REGRET BEING BORN! WE WILL HAVE OUR RECKONING! RIGHT VERMILYA?! REDD WILL COME GET US! WE BOTH KNOW THAT!"

Zelts and Ghost were next to Vermilya's cell when her brother shouted his nonsense. Apparently, she disliked his obnoxious speeches as well. She was sitting on her bed when he spoke. She groaned in annoyance and was pretty embarrassed by Vermilion's faith in their brother. Unlike Vermilion, who adored their big brother, Vermilya disliked him a great deal. Redd made it clear to them that he was the superior sibling. Though she might stomach his presence if he got them out, but she wasn't keeping hope alive like Vermilion.

Zelts never met the oldest Vermilion, but he was told about him by his friends. How Redd was much stronger than the twins, but didn't think much about them. They told him how Redd abandoned them in order to run away, showing he didn't care about his siblings at all. Zelts' general idea of him wasn't positive, especially if he was someone who would ditch his family to make a getaway.

Redd himself was outside the prison, observing its structure from the outside before hearing his brother's shouting. He thought it was annoying, but useful. He walked around the prison, as close as he could get without being noticed, listening for where Vermilion was loudest, that was where he was going to strike.

Zelts and Ghost were following the warden as they made it to the end of the tour. Ghost had his scroll through the whole thing, typing everything the warden told him needed improvements. Zelts thought this was an easy bodyguard gig, but this mission also shined some light on Ghost's character. Despite his indifferent demeanor and general laziness that might surpass Silver's, he was very dutiful when it came to his job as an enforcer. Zelts guessed it made sense since he was the most senior member of Clair's enforcers. As he observed the prison itself, Zelts didn't think it needed any real improvements. He thought someone had to be pretty bold or pretty desperate to breakout of the prison.

Redd stood before the prison wall with a resolve. He wielded his two tonfa maces while energy was surging through the spiked maces at the end. He twirled the weapons in his hands then hurled them at the wall with all his might.

"REDD WILL BREAK US OUT! AND UNLEASH H-"

Redd's senseless rambling was interrupted by his cell wall blowing up. The explosion caused the prison's alarm to go off and startled everyone in the facility. The force of the explosion pushed Vermilion to the cell bars of his cell. He looked to see two familiar tonfa maces then his older brother who picked his weapons up.

"Redd! You're here," Vermilion said on the verge of tears and ran up to hug his older brother, but received a punch to the face instead.

"If you wanna hug something, go hug a cactus. Where's the other one?" Redd asked.

When the explosion occurred, Zelts, Ghost, and the warden were at the prison gates, ready to end today's mission. There was a loud boom, shaking, then the alarm went off. Ghost griped when it all went down.

"Great. What is this bull?" Ghost complained, now that his mission had complications.

"Hello! Anyone, give me a report! Who's breaking out?" the warden asked his men on his scroll.

"Someone broke in sir!" someone responded.

Before they could ask who, Zelts sprung to action by running back to the cell rooms. He grabbed the Heart of Gold from his back and entered the room, seeing Vermilion and someone he's never seen before stand free on the third floor of the cell room. He guessed from what he's been told, that was Redd. Vermilion was scouting the area until he noticed Zelts standing at the cell room entrance.

"Redd! Look! There's one of those Team VRSZ dirtbags that put us in here!" Vermilion shouted and Zelts was impressed he hasn't lost his voice after all that screaming.

Redd glanced at Zelts, but didn't recognize him. "You're not one of the ones that I fought. Not that it matters to me, because I'm going to kill those three. If you're one of them, tell me now, and I'll make your death as painless as possible. No promises," Redd declared.

Zelts was not amused by Redd's words and it showed in the serious expression on his face. He knew that he had to stop the Vermilion siblings and put them all in prison as part of his job, but now felt new resolve to defeat Redd. Unlike Redd, Zelts cared deeply for his teammates like an older brother and never thought lightly about someone threatening them. It was one of the few reasons that allowed him not to hold back.

Redd activated the lightning dust in his tonfa maces so they were surging with electricity. He tossed one toward Zelts and he brought his shield up in front of him, but instead of hitting his shield, the tonfa mace crashed into the wall above him. The impact of the weapon broke apart large pieces of the wall which fell on top of Zelts.

"Go get Vermilya. After that we're leaving," Redd ordered Vermilion.

"You got it! Be right back!" Vermilion left while Zelts busted through the rubble of stone and metal.

Redd eyed him then jumped over the railing with his tonfa mace in hand. He was going to land above Zelts then swung his tonfa at him with the mace cloaked in lightning surging around slamming against the shield. Zelts defended himself while lightning shot out everywhere. Redd quickly grabbed the tonfa mace he threw and started his bashing both weapons against the massive shield.

Zelts knew he could've done more, much more in this fight, but chose to stay on the defensive for now. Zelts wasn't as strategic as Violet when it came to battle, but he was smart. He could fight Redd off, but the setting of their battle was terrible. If Zelts actually put effort into this fight, there would be damage in the prison which would led to the cells being wrecked and allowing more prisoners to get out. He didn't want to be the cause of a jail break, so he remained on the defensive, allowing Redd to complete his mission and break his siblings out.

Vermilion made it to his sister's cell and was trying to get her out, but there were two snafus with his plan; Didn't have the keys to her cell and he had no weapons to bust her out. Vermilya rolled her eyes at her twin's stupidity as he tried to bend the bars with his subpar strength.

"Redd! I'm gonna need some help here," Vermilion alerted his brother.

"Useless," Redd muttered before throwing one of his maces at his sister's cell door. The impact of the weapon busted the lock along with breaking most of the door. It allowed Vermilya to just open her cell door with ease.

Ghost entered the vicinity to see the situation Zelts was in and was about to help him out until Zelts shouted, "Stay back! I have this under control!"

Ghost looked around to see the Vermilion twins were escaping out of the hole Redd made earlier. "You sure?" he asked, doubting Zelts' claim.

"Yeah. Just leave it to me," Zelts confirmed and with that, Ghost left those three to him while making sure the rest of the prison was secure and no one else could escape.

Seeing his siblings made it out of the prison, Redd stopped attacking Zelts and ran away to follow his siblings. Zelts made sure to keep them in his sights.

 **Setting: Fortuna Borders**

Zelts followed behind them into Fortuna. Luckily for him, the prison was located on the edge of the city. Redd wasn't dumb enough to leave his siblings/pawns without their weapons, so he placed their respective weapons just outside the prison hole. With Vermilion's shotgun grenade launcher, which he started kissing, and Vermilya's battle axe, the two of them were ready to rampage like the good old days, but Redd wasn't allowing it.

"No, idiots. We're getting out of this place. We'll get revenge next time, so come on," Redd informed them.

Vermilion was reluctant, but followed his brother to Fortuna's borders. Vermilya showed more resistance and wanted to go into the city, but ultimately followed her brothers. They hid in the back alleys, making it closer and closer to the border until something unexpected happen, they made it outside Fortuna without a hitch. It was odd that no one stopped them after breaking out of prison and Redd didn't see Zelts tailing them. He found it suspicious, but continued on if there was a chance for freedom. The three siblings finally made it out of Fortuna and ventured further into the desert.

 **Setting: Desert**

"We did it. We did it!" Vermilion shouted in victory.

He was about to fire some rounds from his shotgun, but Redd put his arm up to stop his brother and get his attention. Vermilion looked ahead with his brother and sister to see Zelts standing before them with a triumphant smile on his face.

"You didn't find it weird no one was chasing you?" Zelts asked them rhetorically.

"I thought it was strange you didn't stop us earlier," Redd stated.

"Fighting you guys in the city with all those innocent bystanders would've been foolish. Plus, if I'm going to fight seriously, then I can't do it where people could get hurt," Zelts answered.

"Oh, fight seriously? What brought this on?" Redd questioned in a mocking manner.

"You threatened my team. That's more than enough reason for me. I don't take that kind of stuff lightly," Zelts answered in a no nonsense tone.

Redd didn't want to hear any more of this wanted out of here. "Get him," he told his siblings.

Vermilion charged in and so did Vermilya. The hot-headed brother fired two grenades from his launcher, but Zelts blocked them all by splitting his Heart of Gold into wingblades and effortlessly knocking each grenade away with both blades. They exploded around Zelts as he walked forward with Vermilya running for him. She raised her axe for an overhead slash, but Zelts blocked the weapon with one of his wingblades. Before she could react, Zelts used the other blade to smash into her side, knocking her away without slashing her. Vermilion got close and fired his shotgun, but Zelts allowed himself to get shot and let his aura take the hit so he could get close. He grabbed Vermilion by the collar of his prison uniform and tossed him far away, knocking him into his sister and them tumbled into the sand.

Redd shook his head in disappointment at his siblings. Weeks without battle has severely dulled their senses. "Worthless, both of you," he said then eyed an angry Zelts. "Tell me, are your teammates as pathetic as my siblings? They couldn't arrest me, so I had to ask."

Zelts was not amused at all. "That's what you really think of your younger brother and sister?" he said and it sounded more like a final warning.

"Duh. They're only good for being stooges. Anything else is out of their reach. Don't feel bad for them, you should feel bad for me for being their brother. The older brother of pathetic existences like them who has to keep them alive only because they share the same blood. It's so-" Redd was blasted by a strong gust of wind.

He looked over to see that Zelts raised one of his wingblades in the air, showing he didn't want to hear any more. Zelts told Redd he was going to fight seriously and he was. He could never go all-out within Fortuna, it was too dangerous because his attacks could devastate all of Fortuna. Zelts spun his wingblades around and created a small tornado that was heading straight to the oldest sibling. Redd was shocked Zelts could create a force of nature with such ease. He slammed his maces into the sand to hold his ground, but the loose foundation did very little n keeping him in place. He was carried away and landed a couple distance away from his original position. He got up, but Zelts moved in to attack up close. He punched Redd hard in the face then struck him again with a strong left hook. Redd wasn't expecting Zelts to take such an offensive and he certainly didn't expect to receive a headbutt to the head. He fell to the ground face first then Zelts grabbed him by the back of his shirt then tossed him away.

Redd was frustrated by the one-sided fight. He got up and charged his tonfa maces with all the lightning dust in his weapons. He aimed one of them at Zelts and fired electric spikes in his direction. Zelts knew the twins were behind him and were in attack range, but he guessed Redd didn't care about their well-being. Zelts stood in front of them and activated Conversion, absorbing all the lightning spikes that came their way. He protected them while Redd continued to fire and run toward Zelts when he was occupied using his semblance. Redd smashed the other lightning charged tonfa mace against Zelts, but he caught it with his hand. He absorbed all the dust in the mace, draining it dry. With the boost in strength from all the absorbed energy, Zelts put his other hand on Redd's chest and pushed him, knocking him back far away with ease. He knocked him back even further by sending a blast of compressed wind toward Redd that also damaged his aura.

Zelts was proving himself to Redd that he was much stronger than the other members of Team VRSZ. This confirmed his belief that Zelts was carrying his team and he was worth fighting and crushing. Zelts was fully charged thanks to Conversion and he was ready to end this in one go. Redd fired electric spikes from his other tonfa mace as he charged toward Zelts. Since he was fully charged from Conversion, Zelts couldn't absorb any more energy or energy-based attacks, but he had a maneuver to get around that weakness. Zelts was pelted by the fast-moving ray of projectiles at first, but he endured it as he slammed one of his wingblades deep into the sand. He sent the energy from his body into the wingblade in the form of an electric current that ran through the blade and into the ground. This move drained some of the energy out of his body and allowed him to absorb more which he did as Redd fired more lightning spikes as he pressed forward. Seeing as Zelts couldn't move in order to discharge energy and absorb it at the same time, Redd got in his face and was about to smash his mace against his face once again, but just like the last time, Zelts grabbed the weapon with his hand while letting go of his other wingblade to the ground.

It seemed repetitive of what happened before, but Zelts actually held onto the tonfa mace and with his superior strength, yanked the weapon out of the owner's hand. He wielded the weapon like it was his own and slammed it against Redd's gut, knocking him far away. Redd only had the mace with the dust energy drained out of it and Zelts used Conversion to pour some energy into the mace he was holding. The energy surging into the tonfa mace made the lightning dust burst out chaotically and dangerously, like he was wielding a powerful storm in the palm of his hand. Zelts threw the weapon back at its original wielder with the lightning dust bursting out violently. Redd had no way to defend himself so he dodged the weapon by rolling out of the way before it could hit him. The mace zipped past him and landed far off in the sand where the lightning dust exploded into a massive ball of electric energy that scorched the ground and created a deep sand pit. Redd was astounded by Zelts' power and realized he couldn't beat him, even with his siblings helping him which they weren't because they were just watching from a distance.

"You're pretty good at this," Redd complimented Zelts as he got up. "No wonder your teammates survived this long. They may be stronger than the useless lot I have to deal with, but they're all the same, weaklings we have to carry in life."

The more he talked, the angrier Zelts got. Vermilion and Vermilya were in earshot of what their big brother was saying. Neither of them were happy about what Redd said about them, especially Vermilion who idolized his brother. Vermilya wasn't surprised, but hearing it still hurt a great deal. Redd made the two of them felt dejected and Zelts felt pity for the twins as well as quiet rage.

"How about you and I team up and wreck this city?" Redd offered. He did so not just to dump his family, but to save his own butt. "What do you say?"

Zelts picked up his wingblades and took a stance signaling he was going to attack. "You have no right being their brother," he said with resolve and the twins were astounded by his words. His eyes were glowing gold, showing Conversion was fully charged.

He was no longer holding back. Zelts spun around in place, creating a towering, golden tornado that could be seen from within Fortuna. He moved the cyclone toward Redd and it sucked the rogue into the vortex. Zelts used the energy from Conversion to add an extremely powerful electric current in the tornado. Redd was swirling around inside the tornado at the same time being electrocuted severely. Zelts only wished Violet was with him so she could add her dust to change the type of attack to continue Redd's suffering, but Zelts made due with what he had. The tornado was going away anytime soon and Redd's aura was already broken, leaving him at the mercy on the electricity shocking his body till it was charred.

The tornado was very powerful, kicking up tons of sand and causing some nearby areas in Fortuna to rumble. Sterling watched from outside Moneta and smiled. It reminded him of the story of the huntsman hero that single-handedly fought off a massive army of Grimm to keep the original Fortuna safe. Seeing this windstorm now meant Zelts was living up to that person's legacy and Sterling believed Zelts would someday be able to surpass him.

Zelts used a great deal of energy to create that tornado with a powerful electric current, but he wasn't going to let Redd off that easily, not after threatening his friends and speaking poorly of his own kin. Zelts spun around with his wingblades till the wind it created surrounded the lower half of his body and helped him fly upward. As he was flying toward the tornado, he used Conversion to absorb the dust from his shirt. He ascended close enough to the tornado to deliver the final blow. He sent a wave of highly compressed wind at the tornado, slicing it apart with Redd's scorched body floating in the air. The young man was in tremendous pain, but still conscious, painfully moving his body to look at Zelts with eyes filled with contempt. With all his strength, Zelts punched Redd in the face, sending him plummeting down into a sand dune, completely unconscious and utterly defeated. Zelts safely descended to the ground, standing over Redd while Vermilion and Vermilya were not sure what to do next. They approached as close as they dared so Zelts wouldn't attack them next, but he wasn't planning on fighting to any further extent.

"You guys get out of here," Zelts said with his back turned to them.

"What?" Vermilya questioned.

"Is this some kind of trap?" Vermilion asked while he slowly raised his shotgun. Vermilya put her hand on top of his weapon and lowered it.

"I'm letting you two go, but I'm taking your broth- Redd with me back to prison," Zelts told them, avoiding to call Redd their brother.

"You both may have been a pain in the past, but Redd's a bigger problem. Plus… after everything he said about you guys, I wouldn't blame you for ditching him. Think of this as a literal get-out-of-jail free card. He'll take your place in prison and you guys can leave, just don't come back to Fortuna."

"Are you serious?" Vermilion wasn't sure what else to say. He and his sister really wanted to get out of here, if anything, to get away from Zelts.

"How can we trust you not to come after us?" Vermilya asked.

"You guys deserve a better family member than Redd. Someone like that doesn't deserve to lecture anyone about family especially if he thinks so poorly of you. Start over without him, but I'm letting you go, so if you come back for any reason, you'll have me to deal with. Understand?" Zelts informed them, but didn't receive an answer.

He turned around to see that the Vermilion twins were already gone, leaving Fortuna in the far-off distance. He didn't blame them and went to grab Redd. He picked up the defeated man and stared at him with a stern look. Zelts could never sympathize with someone like him. Someone who would use and abuse those who depend and look up to him was despicable to Zelts. He never imagined what that would be like for him to abandon his teammates like that because he thought they were weak which he didn't. Whether they were weak or strong, Zelts would be there to protect them, support them, fight with them. He was Team VRSZ's first and last line of defense and he wore that with pride.

 **Setting: Prison**

Zelts returned to Fortuna's prison while carrying Redd who was badly injured and still unconscious. He brought him in and the guards took Redd to the prison's infirmary to tend to his wounds before locking him away. Ghost approached Zelts to ask for details.

"I don't see the twins. What happened with them?" Ghost asked.

"…They- They're gone. I let them leave Fortuna in exchange for Redd," Zelts admitted to the enforcer.

"You did what?!" Ghost said slightly peeved.

"The circumstances were complicated and we made a sort of compromise. I get Redd and they leave."

"You realize how stupid that is?" Ghost said rhetorically. "How do you know they're not gonna come back doing the same stupid stuff like before?"

"I don't. And if they do, then I'll take complete responsibility and deal with them. You have my word Ghost."

Ghost sighed deeply and felt very frustrated. "Fine. One is better than none and you better remember those words if they do come back," he said feeling exasperated by the whole situation.

"Thanks," Zelts said with a relieved smile.

"But I'm only paying you half of what Violet and I agreed on. You did lose two prisoners on mission," Ghost told him.

"That seems fair," Zelts complied.

"Since your mission is pretty much over now, gonna head home?" Ghost asked out of curiosity.

"Not yet. I have another mission I have to complete before heading home. See you later Ghost. Give Clair and your sister my regards," Zelts said before leaving the semi-destroyed prison.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

"I'm back!" Zelts called out to his teammates when he entered their base. He also had a small box beneath one of his arm.

Violet was in the kitchen sitting at the island table while playing with one of her Chesire's Enigma in her hand. She meant what she said about not doing any missions and having a lazy day. Silver was practicing his levitation by sitting on the ground then floating in the air, showing he has gotten much better at controlling this new extension of Gravity. Remus was sitting on the sofa in the living room with a small assortment of dust crystals on the coffee table. Violet gave him a few crystals from her vast collection for him to add to his arsenal. He tried to figure out which would work best with his semblance and weapon until Zelts entered.

"How did it go?" Remus asked intrigued about what happened.

"Nothing real special. Just routine bodyguard work," Zelts answered.

"Nothing special? I guess that giant golden tornado outside was just routine?" Violet asked with a sarcastic grin.

"Hahah… Let's just say there were some complications and I only got paid half because of it."

"That sucks," Silver said while floating in the air.

"But I did head to the Bazaar to buy something for you. The merchant drove a hard bargain, but I managed to get some. They were made from the source, Mistral." Zelts walked up to Violet and placed the box on the island before her.

She smiled widely because she knew what Zelts got her. Violet opened the small box to see for herself the box was filled with an assortment of doughnut holes. They were either glazed, covered in powdered sugar, or stuffed with different kinds of filling. Doughnut holes were Violet's absolute favorite treat and the fact they came from Mistral meant they were the genuine article.

"Oooohhhh yes! Thank you Zelts! You're the best!" Violet proclaimed to Zelts before indulging in a few doughnut holes.

Remus and Silver walked over to have some themselves, but Violet swiftly slapped their hands away. She was possessive with her favorite sweets at first, but she always shared them with her boys, usually after slapping their hands about four more times. After smacking away everyone's hand and eating several for herself, Violet allowed her teammates to eat the rest with her. Zelts ate a doughnut hole then watched the happy expression on their faces. He was glad he could prevent Redd from harming the one he considers his family and he hoped Vermilion and Vermilya the best, wherever they may be.

* * *

 **Zelts is finding new ways to use his Heart of Gold in battle. He created one in his battle with Redd to compress the air before sending it to him in order to deal greater damage and it works as a powerful knockback attack. It functions like a giant air gun that could be strong enough to punch a hole in reinforced steel. Just like Violet learning about the versatility of her new kukris, Remus adding dust to his fighting style, and Silver trying to master levitation, air compression is a new trick Zelts has to work on.**

 **Zelts weapon has the most destructive force on the team and the most destructive weapon in Fortuna which is why he can't use its full potential within the city or he could destroy Fortuna. He can create up to four tornadoes back-to-back and that's without a fully charged Conversion. With his semblance, his golden tornadoes can reach the height of skyscrapers. Zelts is fully aware of what he can do and that's why he doesn't use it when the casualties outweigh the results.**

 **Conversion allows Zelts to absorb different kinds of energy and he can transfer it to his Heart of Gold, but he can do this with other weapons. This was demonstrated with Redd's tonfa mace as he made it far more powerful when he transferred energy into it, causing the lightning dust to surge greatly. Silver likened Zelts' semblance to that of a universal battery, something Zelts agreed with.**

 **Zelts is actually the most popular member of Team VRSZ among Fortuna's citizens. This is because he is very handsome, second only to Blood, and he still goes to Moneta to accept missions like fixing roofs, pulling weeds, and other odd jobs which makes him look like a model citizen and everyday hero.**

 **Since Zelts is based off** **a combination of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, his color scheme is predominantly gold with green as his secondary. That's why as his outfits changed, the primary color swapped from green to gold.**

 **Just like Silver, Zelts will be getting a new theme as well, but with a twist. His new theme is his original one, Knight of the Wind by Crush 40, but when he first had it, it was the nightcore version. After many more experiences with Tigress and Team VRSZ, Zelts has made peace with his past and plans to continue fighting. Transitioning from nightcore to normal is to show his maturity and growth. Also, the lyrics of this song best describe Zelts as a character better than any other song. **

**Zelts' bedroom has a large bed with green sheets and a green blanket and a dresser for his clothes. He has a closet for any extra clothes and a bookshelf with his own collection of fine literature, though he does borrow Violet's comic books from time to time. In his room is a dumbbell weight set in one corner and a punching bag next to it. He keeps them in his room, but they're for anyone to use if they ask. Whenever he's not working, he leans his Heart of Gold against a wall and cleans it to get out any stains. The window in Zelts' room faces the front of their home, so when he works out in his room with the blinds open, a small gathering of women can be seen admiring him. The crowd can be annoying for Violet and Silver.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: Vantackblack Sheep**

 **Setting: Concordia**

In the office of Clair de Lune Vantablack, Clair was at her desk writing her signature on several documents with Bianca standing by her side at attention. The female enforcer was always professional in her job of accompanying and assisting Clair, despite her boss insistently telling her to relax. It showed how serious Bianca was when it came to keeping Clair safe, the same person who gave her a second chance at life. Clair signed the last document in the pile and moved into the pile with all the other signed papers.

"Ready for the next batch," Clair stated to Bianca with her hand out, waiting to receive the next stack of papers that needed her attention and possible signature.

"There is no more Lady Clair. You've finished your work for the day," Bianca told Clair.

"Really?" Clair was astounded because these types of days were very rare. It meant the monarch of Fortuna had a day-off.

"Oh, yes! What should I do with the rest of the day?" Clair asked.

As if to answer her call, there was a knock at her office door. The person on the other side opened the door was one of Clair's favorite people, Violet Tulipe. Clair was so ecstatic that her best friend has come to visit that she walked up to Violet with open arms. Violet knew what she was getting into when she visited her friend. She felt Clair's soft and warm embrace and was being smothered by it. Clair sneaked in two kisses on Violet's cheek before Violet pulled her off.

"Okay, Okay! That's enough! Down Clair! Down!" Violet said after getting out of Clair death hug of love. "I came to see if you wanted to hang out. Silver, Zelts, and Loden went out on a freelancer job together and Remus is outside Fortuna's borders. He wants to practice using dust so he's doing where he won't cause any real damage. Being on my own is nice and all, but I came down to see if you wanted to spend the day together."

"Your timing couldn't be more perfect. I just finished the last of my work so we can have the whole day to ourselves. Ah!" Clair turned around to Bianca.

She looked at her enforcers with pleading eyes and put her hands together to give Bianca the impression she was begging. "Can I please go on a date with Violet?" she asked in a false beseeching tone.

Violet playfully rolled her eyes at Clair calling their friendly get-together a date. Bianca wondered why Clair was talking to her like a parent to a child, but realized this was just Clair being Clair. Bianca smiled to herself and nodded her head, allowing her boss to go outside and play. Clair winked at her enforcer as a thank you for playing along before grabbing Violet's hand and escorting her out of the office. Bianca looked to her scroll to make sure her boss' schedule was clear and it was except for a meeting she would have later in the day.

 **Setting: Clothing Store**

Violet told Clair that today was her day and she allowed the young monarch to make the most of her day. Clair decided she wanted to go shopping for fun. She browsed through the few clothing stores Fortuna had and told herself to try and get some more clothing stores built in Fortuna. She looked at different articles of clothing that she thought was stylish for her and those that were cute for Violet who disliked every suggestion offered to her. This wasn't a date, but Violet the boyfriend in this situation, leaning against the wall while Clair tried on different clothes in the fitting rooms.

"How do I look in this?" Clair asked as she modeled a stylish outfit for Violet to judge.

"You look really beautiful. It really highlights your hair," Violet complimented.

She knew Clair's favorite feature was her Vantablack hair that was blacker than black and saying it looked good always made her happy. Clair blushed from her complimented and decided to buy the dress. Wearing dresses and things like that was a part of Violet's life that she chose to leave behind, but it was nice to see someone else do it for fun. At the cash register Clair was going to buy the dress Violet picked out. The cost was one hundred twenty Lien, but Clair didn't pay. Instead, she looked at Violet, hoping she would pay in her steed. Violet was defiant at first, but Clair looked at her with a combination of puppy dog eyes and quivering lip. It proved to be very effective on Violet who opened her wallet and paid in cash.

 **Setting: Edesia**

Clair and Violet decided to have lunch at Fortuna's best restaurant and being the ruler meant Clair and guest get special treatment. They were immediately given a VIP table and were free to eat anything from the breakfast, lunch, or dinner menu. They wanted their day to continue, so the two of them ordered from the lunch menu. Clair requested a grilled chicken salad and Violet ordered a half rack of baby back ribs. If she couldn't have steak, ribs were the next best thing. As they waited for their food to arrive, Clair and Violet passed the time with small talk.

"So, how are things with you and Evergreen?" Violet asked teasingly. Silver told Violet about Clair and the singer's rendezvous scene in the dressing room. The question made Clair blush and smile when she reminisced about that moment.

"Ahahah! Well… I'm sure Silver told you about our moment at the concert. That kiss was just our way of saying hello after all these years. Ever is an old flame, but I'd to rekindle what we had. We're keeping in contact while she's doing her tour in Vacuo. Not sure if our career paths will allow us to have anything but a long-distance relationship, but we just have to see where it goes from here," Clair answered.

"Please don't be jealous! There's enough room in my heart for the both of you," Clair told Violet then asked her a question to change the subject.

"What kind of mission have Silver and Zelts taken?"

"A client came to us asking about an important political figure in Vacuo. He's been the target of bandits and rogues who want to kidnap and ransom him to the kingdom of Vacuo," Violet answered.

"I see. And the freelancers were hired to be his bodyguards and protect him from kidnappers?"

"No, they were hired to kidnap him," Violet stated with a straight face.

"Oh? Is this a mission where the freelancers play as the villains?" Clair asked curiously.

"Not this time. The client who hired us is actually a teacher and huntress from Vacuo and she wants the team to kidnap her associate from a group of bounty hunters that have taken him hostage."

"Do you know who has him?"

Violet groaned before saying, "Grayson and his freaking Ravagers."

" That group has become a troubling thorn in your side. Have you been in contact with your boy-toys? Just to make sure they're alright," Clair asked.

"Hmm, I haven't…" Violet pulled out her scroll and called Zelts.

She put the call on speaker so they both could hear. They waited for Zelts to pick up and he did, with the first thing the girls hearing was the sound of grunting and gunfire. They were immediately curious until Zets finally answered.

"Hello?! Helloooo?! Violet?! Is this a butt dial?!" Zelts shouted before grunting. They guessed he and the others were currently in the heat of battle.

"No, no butt dial Zelts. Just wanted to know how the mission was going," Violet answered albeit a feeling a little bad about calling him during what seems to be a dangerous situation.

"Not well," he responded. "Grayson's group outnumbers us and he hired some thugs to be bodyguards! It's pretty horrible her- GAH!" was what Violet and Clair heard and nothing more from Zelts.

After a few moments of hearing nothing but the battle, someone else talked through the scroll.

"I'm sorry but Zelts is currently unavailable to talk on the scroll right now." The two girls recognized Silver was the one talking and the gunfire was much louder. "He's been blown into a giant rock by Alexandrite. Can I take a message?" he said in a joking manner.

"How's the situation Silver?" Violet asked with concern. It didn't seem like the mission was going well.

"It's a three on thirteen battle and it's exactly as it sounds. Alexandrite got Zelts cornered. She's keeping herself planted on the ground with her crystals. Loden is trying to get revenge on Platinum, but… that's apparently not happening. And I'm currently pinned to the ground with a gun at my head by some fodder."

The next thing Violet and Clair heard was a gunshot and someone screaming in pain. "Never mind about that gun to my head thing. I'm fine, but Grayson's new fox guy is keeping us away from the target. We can't reach him," Silver answered.

"Things aren't going so well, so we might have to retreat. Might have to chalk this one up as a failure," Silver told Violet.

Violet sighed and rested her head in her left hand. "It can't be helped. Get back home safe, all of you. That's more important than a paycheck," Violet told him and Clair looked at her with a pretty smile.

"You got it boss! I'll see you when we get back!" Silver ended the call on Zelts' scroll.

Violet sighed again then noticed Clair watching her with a pleased expression. "What?"

"You really care for them, don't you? Willing to fail a job just to make sure they come back alive. So sweet," Clair said with a happy face.

"It's what you do for people you care about. Same for you and your family," Violet said.

"Yeah. Sterling, and Onyx, and…." Clair stopped when she thought of her cousin and Violet picked up on it.

"No love for Copper Periwinkle?" she teased.

"…I love him. He just makes it difficult to-"

"Like being around him," Violet finished her sentence.

"Yes!" Clair said and the girls laughed.

"Not easy being with the black sheep in the family?"

"Believe me, despite all his… idiosyncrasies, C.P. isn't the worst Vantablack out there," Clair assured.

"But he might be turning a new leaf, hopefully. Turns out Sterling is thinking of letting C.P. takeover as proprietor of Moneta. He figured it would allow my cousin to grow and mature," Clair told Violet, but even she was wondering how that was going to work.

Violet didn't have the chance to voice her opinion because it took very little time for the food to finally arrive. Forgetting about the subject at hand, they enjoyed their meal together along with the small talk in between. This day-off was one of Clair's best, until she received a call on her scroll. She saw that the person calling her was C.P., so she picked it up.

"Hello C.P., we were just talking about-" Clair stopped and her face held a brief expression for only a small moment.

"Hm… Uh… I see… Alone? Very well," Clair responded coldly then hung up.

"What was that about?" Violet asked after swallowing some rib meat.

"It seems you and your team aren't the only ones dealing with kidnapping today. Apparently, Copper was taken by crooks as well. They want me to show up alone and give them a million Lien as a ransom," Clair stated with no sign of worry.

"… I guess that means lunch has to end early," Violet answered, putting one of her ribs down and started wiping her hands with a napkin. "You're obviously going to go get him, but are really going to pay them?"

"Of course not. Rasnoms never work, but I will be going there to save my dimwitted cousin, and I wish to hire you for your assistance."

"Didn't they say come alone?" Violet asked.

"Yes, and specifically said no freelancers, but I think you'll want to go of your own volition."

"Why is that?" Violet questioned. She didn't really see anything that could make do this without pay.

Clair lifted her scroll to show Violet a picture the criminal sent. It was a picture of Violet stretching in a tank top and shorts in front of Team VRSZ's base with the captions, 'No Freelancers' underneath. The picture was Violet stretching in a position that really showed off her beautiful scarred legs. People outside the moment this was shot would consider sensual. It was obviously a photo Violet didn't allow and C.P. obviously took it in secret.

Violet was embarrassed, but mostly enraged at C.P. for taking such a candid shot of her and using it for who knows what. The anger showed on her face and her ferocious aura gave her the impression of a terrifying beast. Even Clair felt unnerved, wondering if Violet alone could be a beacon for a horde of Grimm. Now she understood what Clair meant about going of her own volition. It wasn't to save C.P., it was to beat him until he just a bloody stain on her fist.

"If you help me save C.P., not only will I pay, but I'll thrown in extra for beating him senseless for the picture," Clair enticed Violet as well as quell her anger.

"Deal," Violet said, darkly satisfied.

 **Setting: Liberia**

The meeting place for the hostage exchange was in the criminal hotspot of Fortuna, Liberia. Whoever kidnapped C.P. told Clair to meet them inside a run-down building that was probably ruined after her reconstruction project. She made a mental note to rejuvenate this part of her home. Clair stood in front of the building while Violet did recon, scouting the building, its occupants, and reassuring C.P.'s safety while using Invisibility to remain unnoticed. Clair played with a mechanical pen in her hands until Violet reappeared by her side.

"There's only five of them; two females, three males. They're all on the first floor in the living room with C.P. tied to a chair. They don't seem to have any weapons that I could see, except for one with a bat. No traps or back-up anywhere. They probably thought you wouldn't risk it for a family member," Violet said, summarizing their situation.

"Good, nothing too outrageous. I could've done this on my own. Together, we could get this done within the hour," Clair said merrily.

"You? You don't even have a weapon," Violet questioned, though she was curious. She has never seen Clair in any form of combat.

"Yes I do, right here." Clair showed Violet the mechanical pen in her hands.

"That's a weapon?"

"It's mightier than the sword," Clair teased.

"Pretty words, but really?"

"This was Sterling's weapon before he gave it to me. You'll see soon enough. Shall we begin?"

Violet used her semblance to turn invisible and remain unseen as she walked up to the building by Clair's side as the monarch opened the door. The crooks inside looked up when the door opened and so did C.P., who was tied up and gagged. He tried to speak, to express how happy he was to see his cousin, but it only came out a muffled nonsense. The crooks in particular were dressed like street punks, people who didn't seem to belong to any strong gangs or working for some big shot. Clair and Violet assumed they recognized C.P. and just got lucky.

"So the Lady of Fortuna finally showed up," one of the crook with the bat said. He walked up to the Vantablack, trying to size her up, only to see that he was actually much shorter than her. He backed away then said, "You got the money?"

Clair pulled out her pen and Violet silently grabbed a few Cheshire's Enigmas from her pouch. She was ready to throw her knives around, but didn't when Clair also pulled out a check paper. The monarch started scribbling and handed the check to the man, with a million dollars written on it. Violet wasn't sure what Clair was doing or when the right moment to strike.

"Ah… for real?" the crook said, genuinely flabbergasted that it was that easy.

"Be sure to share it with your _friends_ ," Clair said while glancing at the position where Violet was standing. Violet understood and walked over to the other four that were standing near C.P.

"…This was too easy," the punk said then raised his bat toward Clair's face. "Heheheh, didn't know the Vantablack family was this easy to swindle. Write another check and this time, make it ten million!"

"Who should I make this out to?" Clair smiled and somehow, Violet knew that was the signal. Clair put her pen up, pointing the lead at the man. She pressed the button on the end of the pen twice and a sparkling black laser blasted out and shot the man in the chest, knocking him back into one of his friends. He and one of the girls he crashed into slammed into the wall and broke through it.

The remaining three were ready to physically confront the Lady of Fortuna, but were all attacked by an Invisible Violet, who struck them all with kicks. She remained invisible to confuse the punks and it worked. She punched a girl in the jaw and kicked a guy in the gut, knocking him into the kitchen. The punk and his friends were freaking out, thinking the Lady of Fortuna was using some kind of magic. He looked around for a weapon and found a knife.

Violet fought off the two other in front of a startled and on the verge of crying C.P. while Clair noticed the other kidnapper in the kitchen with a knife. He ran at her screaming frantically, trying to get close and plunge the rusty blade into her heart. Clair kept a firm grip of her pen and pressed the button again, but only one time. The pen's point shot out and extended into a small black and silver short sword that Clair used to block the punk's knife attack with ease. The man tried to break through with force, but Clair wasn't budging, showing she was deceptively strong.

She smiled at him and asked him a question, "Do you want to hear a lullaby?"

Clair began using Songstress and sing for all to hear. The kidnapper in front of her began to feel sleepy and so did the remaining two getting beaten by an invisible Violet. The one in front of her fell to the ground sleeping and so did the ones that were facing Violet. The freelancer was impressed that her friend's ability with Songstress and how it only effected the kidnappers. She checked outside for the punks that were blasted through the building, only to see they were either knocked out in the rubble or asleep as well.

"Ah! That was so much fun," Clair said as she walked toward her tied up cousin. "Maybe I should join you on more of these escapades."

Violet deactivated Invisibility, reappearing next to a temporarily freaked out C.P. and looked at Clair surprised.

"Seeing as how you handled yourself, I would hope so. You make it look easy," Violet complimented. Clair smiled at her words then removed the piece of cloth muting her cousin.

"Moonlight! It's so good you came to rescue me! Those guys attacked me out of nowhere and dragged me to this place! They wanted money, but I didn't have any! Next thing I know, they took my scroll and looked through all my stuff! Even had the nerve to check out my picture of-" C.P.'s rambled as Clair got him out of the chair, but it reminded Violet of the other reason why she's here.

She turned around with a face of irritation and walked to the young man. He wasn't sure why Violet, or in his mind, the girl with the best legs and ass in Fortuna, was approaching him. He didn't know Violet's true intentions, so he came up with one in his head and it was pretty stupid.

"Oh, I get it. After such a battle you need someone to _comfort_ you, make sure you're okay. Don't worry baby, I got-" C.P.'s horrible assumption was cut short by Violet slugging him in the face.

"It's great to see you're okay Copper," Clair said after Violet attacked him. "I'm glad you're not hurt. No random person is allowed to hurt anyone in my family. Also, Violet saw the picture you had of her, so she's going _express_ how she feels about it."

Violet cracked her knuckles as she looked down on the frightened Vantablack. "I thought you said you wouldn't let anyone hurt me?" he asked, crawling on the floor to get away from Violet.

"I said no random person could harm you. Violet's my best friend and she has my blessing," she said before walking away from the scene. Violet looked at C.P. with angry eyes and clenched fists. He backed away until his back hit the wall with the large hole in it. He tried to climb out of it, but Violet grabbed him and pulled him back. Copper honestly thought she was a monster.

Clair exited the building, closed the door, and leaned against it while listening to the sounds of things breaking and Copper Periwinkle Vantablack's screaming. Unknown to Violet, Clair saved the photo sent to her scroll and kept it in her gallery for her own visual pleasure. She made sure not to let Violet see this in the future. If Violet Tulipe was a monster, then Clair de Lune Vantablack was an impish demon.

 **Setting: Concordia**

After getting paid to save and beat up C.P., Violet walked with Clair back to Concordia with a beaten C.P. tailing behind them. The two girls were laughing at the events that happened today, enjoying these outings they were allowed whenever they were off duty. All three of them entered the building and relaxed in the main hall. Copper sat in a chair while Violet and Clair stood and continued chatting.

"Today was really fun!" Clair told Violet.

"No, it wasn't," C.P. interjected from his spot. He caressed his swollen cheek softly. His face was bruised and so was the rest of his body underneath his clothing. This was the first time Clair has ever seen her cousin humbled. It was a small growing moment for him.

"The day's not over yet," Violet told Clair. "Want to head to my place and-" Violet was interrupted by Bianca running toward them.

The ever-cool Bianca was frazzled. Her hair was displaced, she was gasping for air, and she was sweating profusely. Her eyes were dilated and it didn't seem like she was all there. Clair was greatly concerned and rushed to her enforcer's side, helping her sit down next to Copper. She used Songstress to sing at a lone tone into Bianca's ear. The sound of her voice was enough to calm her down. She looked as Clair with a slightly fearful expression which was rare because it takes a great deal to frighten Bianca.

"What happened Bianca? Are you okay?" she asked with great concern as she cradled Bianca's face in her left hand.

"Y-you had a meeting and they came… early," Bianca said, still not feeling at a hundred percent.

"What did they do to you?" Violet asked. She wanted to know who did this so she could make them pay later.

"N-nothing… They just…waited for you. Said they were V-Vantablacks," Bianca told them.

 _"_ _Vantablacks? More?"_ Violet thought to herself.

Clair suddenly shot up from kneeling in front of Bianca. The expression on the monarch's face was one of shock and fear, something Violet has never seen before. She took a deep breath and left the main hall of Concordia without a word. Violet didn't know what to make of such a change in behavior and decided to follow her. She tailed Clair as they walked up the stairs to her office floor. Violet made it to Clair's office floor right when Clair herself entered her office and closed the doors behind her.

Violet walked down the hall to see what the big deal was, but something overcame her. Her body started to feel cold and she got colder the closer she got to the doors. This shouldn't have been possible because she was in the desert and the air conditioning in the building shouldn't get this cold. Violet felt something else, a sick feeling throughout her body once she reached the door which took her fifteen minutes to reach since she didn't realize how slowly she was approaching her destination. It was petrifying, but she mustered the strength to open the door.

Violet said nothing as she looked at the scene in front of her. Clair was sitting at her desk with a troubled expression mixed when she stared at her guest before turning to Violet. Standing before Clair were two people, a young woman who seemed about Violet's age, if not slightly older, and an older woman. The two turned around to stare at Violet for intruding and she could sense it.

The cold, ominous feeling consuming the room was coming from the older woman. Her aura was dark and twisted. It felt like it was spilling out of her and staining everything like ink. The other feature that caught Violet's attention was her eyes. They were a bright green and almost looked otherworldly. She had an angelic, heart-shaped face and full lips, making her seem like a loving mother, but her aura gave off this feeling of malevolence. She was dressed in an elegant black dress that displayed her shoulders, back, legs, and her hour glass figure. The one thing about her Violet recognized was her long, blacker than black hair that cascaded down to the swell of her back. It was the Vantablack hair that Clair's family was known for, but hers was different somehow. Clair's flowing black hair made Violet think of a starlit night while this woman's hair made her think of the darkest abyss.

The young girl by her side was rather different. She wasn't intimidating or gave a malicious presence, but Violet could tell she wasn't an ordinary person. She had fair skin and a very attractive androgynous face, but made it difficult to gauge whether she was a fine-looking boy or beautiful girl. Her clothes didn't help either because she wore a navy-blue blazer with a grey, buttoned dress shirt which made it a little difficult to notice her feminine body and black pants. She wore black and white high tops. Her hair was the same color as Clair's and the other woman and it was short, only barely reaching past her jaw, making even harder to discern if she were a boy or girl. The young woman scanned Violet and grinned at her, liking what she saw. Violet didn't know what to make of her and she noticed one specific thing about her appearance.

"I guess introductions are in order," Clair said aloud, breaking the awkward silence. "Violet, this is my aunt, Carabosse," Clair said while Carabosse held a faint smile toward the freelancer.

"It's very nice to meet you. Please, call me Cara," she said. Her voice was alluring, but Violet kept her wits about her.

"Like wise," Violet answered, though there were no emotions in her words.

"And this is my cousin, Ebony. We both have the joy of meeting her for the first time," Clair said as Ebony walked up to Violet.

She took Violet's hand in her own and lightly kissed it. She looked up at the bewildered freelancer, saying, "Charmed, I'm sure."

Violet didn't know how to react. She could only look on, look into Ebony's silver eyes.

Carabosse and Ebony Vantablack. Violet was soon going to understand what Clair meant about C.P. not being the worst member of the Vantablack family. Little did Violet or Clair knew how this encounter was only the beginning. Nor did they know these two Vantablacks would soon change not only their lives, but those around them forever and stir the whims of Fortuna one final time.

This is how it started, the countdown to Fortuna's final days. The glory days of the freelancers was coming to an end.

* * *

 **Carabosse Vantablack is based on the wicked fairy godmother best known in Sleeping Beauty and has appeared as a rare figure in fairy tales. She is best known for inflicting people with curses, notably sleeping curses. Carabosse is the name of the fairy Maleficent was based on. Being a Carabosse has no correlation to colors, but she prefers to be called Cara for short which has several meanings. Cara means beloved in Latin, friend in Irish, dark in Turkey, and diamond/precious jewel in Vietnamese. Being a Vantablack means she already has black in her name and as her color scheme.** **Carabosse's character is mysterious but dangerous. Her aura is ghastly and could be felt by those around her.**

 **Ebony Vantablack is based on the Prince Charming character found in many fairy tales and has many qualities of a prince. Her physical appearance attracts both men and women. Most people who meet her for the first time might mistake her for a boy. Much of her character hasn't been revealed this chapter, but you will see what kind of person she is in the next one and you'll understand why Clair said Copper Periwinkle Vantablack isn't the black sheep in the family. Ebony is a dense black hardwood. With the black color in her first and last name, Ebony's name truly embodies the 'blacker than black' theme of the Vantablack family. Inspiration for Ebon'y appearance came from the actress Ruby Rose.**

 **Ebony has silver eyes just like Ruby and the Silver-Eyed Warriors. This shows that one side of her family is Vantablack while the other half is from the Silver-Eyed lineage. There isn't much currently known about the powers of the Silver-Eyed Warriors, but as more of their abilities are shown, so will Ebony's. Originally, she wasn't supposed to have silver eyes, but I decided to change it last minute.**

 **Violet has the master bedroom of their base, so her room is much larger than her friends' rooms. While they have hardwood floors, Violet's floor is carpeted, and because their base belong to the Vantablack family, the carpet was black. She planned to change it to purple. She had a king sized bed, a walk-in closet that could fit four people, and her own private master bathroom which had a bathtub on one side and a shower on the other. Violet has to large steel containers in her room. One of them stores her massive collection** **Cheshire's Enigmas and the other houses her collection of dust. She prohibits her friend from entering her dust vault, but Silver breaks in anyway. She has a bookshelf with her comic books and notebook on team strategies. Hidden in Violet's room is a small safe where she keeps a large amount of Lien for emergencies.**

 **The Color VRSZ Colour Chronicles is reaching its final chapters.**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: I'm back from vacation and just wrote this chapter today. I'd like to say thank you for all the readers who waited for this new chapter and another thank you for the boon in views in my absence. It really makes me happy to know the story is still doing well without any update in the last week. I also like to make a special shout out to LinxBento for the reviews and Gracekim1 for the support. Also, look onto Gracekim1's page to see her RWBY story, The RWBY Volume 5 Team Test.**

* * *

 **Chapter 38: The Charming Vantablack**

 **Setting: Clair's Office**

Violet stared into Ebony's silver eyes for the longest time. She didn't know what to say about the situation she was in. Ebony was similar to Clair when they first met. Her character and motives were unreadable, but there was something about her that Violet didn't like. She probably thought it was because she was accompanied by Carabosse who was obviously a sinister person. The older woman was staring at Violet with great intrigue. Violet wouldn't say anything to the ominous lady aloud because she had no reason to. There was also the fact that she and Ebony were Vantablacks, Clair's family and Violet didn't want to seem rude, but she was still too stunned to know what to do. If anything, Violet really wanted to leave.

"Violet," Clair said, breaking the prolonged silence in the room. "Thank you for visiting, but I'm in an important meeting right now. If you would be so kind as to give us the room."

Clair's tone was very serious and business-like which was so unlike her. Something so uncharacteristic of her made Violet understand. Violet knew what she was really trying to say behind those words. The veiled message was to run away and she did. Violet nodded in acknowledgement and calmly left the room, still feeling Ebony and Carabosse's gaze on her back. She closed the door and slid to the floor, catching her breath and wondering to herself.

 _"_ _Who the hell are they? What are they?"_

Violet eventually got up and walked down the hall to return back to her home.

Back inside Clair's office, Carabosse returned her attention to Clair while Ebony's eyes still lingered on the door along with a smile. The Lady of Fortuna wasn't sure what they were here for, but she didn't want Violet to be involved.

"Who was she? A friend of yours?" Carabosse asked with interest.

"She's an acquaintance of mine that I hire from time to time. No one special," Clair lied and she felt internal pain just from saying it.

"Oh, very well," Carabosse replied. Ebony on other hand, kept Violet in mind. "Then we can get back to the matter at hand."

"Of course, aunt Cara. It's been so long since we've seen each other. I was only eight back then," Clair said semi-fondly.

"I'm sorry for being away for so long. Work has had me so occupied that I haven't been in touch with that many people in our family, which reminds me. Clair, this is your first-time meeting Ebony. Isn't that correct?"

Ebony approached Clair's desk with a smile and extended her hand. Clair did the same and the two shook hands. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Ebony happily said.

"Likewise. I can't believe we haven't met before or heard of you from someone else," Clair admitted.

"She's a distant family member. After finally meeting her, I decided to take her under my wing and teach her about the world," Carabosse explained.

"In fact, Clair, I've heard great things about you as well. Your ability to lead others, an entire city, at such a young age, is highly impressive," Carabosse stated.

"Thank you, aunt Cara. It really-"

"To possess the power to alter, no, to control the lives of your citizens is truly marvelous, isn't it? Any decision you make can alter the life of so many people," Carabosse started ranting.

"…" Clair wasn't sure what to make what her aunt was saying, but it was making her feel uncomfortable.

"Not to mention your semblance can manipulate others as well. You're just like Ebony. I just love those who have power to affect the lives of so many individuals and that's why I want to ask you if you could-" Carabosse was interrupted by Clair's office doors slamming open.

"CARABOSSE!" Sterling bellowed as he entered the room. The elder Vantablack had a face of pure rage and it was directed solely at Carabosse. It was as if he didn't see Clair or Ebony.

Carabosse remained calm despite his tone and smirked at the fellow Vantablack. "Hello brother. It's been far too long. I've missed y-"

"Get out of here!" Sterling shouted, alarming Clair, but not Carabosse or Ebony. "Get out of Fortuna! And don't talk to my niece ever again!"

Sterling was ignoring everything and doing his best to get rid of his younger sister. Clair wasn't sure what this was all about. She heard unpleasant things about her aunt from other members of her family, but didn't know anything about her. Sterling's anger was very alarming and upsetting to her because she has never seen him lose his cool like this before and her aunt's presence triggered it so easily. It worried her she has no idea what kind of relationship Sterling and Carabosse have.

"…Very well Sterling. I will leave Clair alone, but I'm staying over for the next two days. Travelling in Vacuo is quite treacherous without an airship you see. But Ebony can stay and get to know her cousin before we take our leave," Carabosse told a furious Sterling.

He looked at Ebony, a new niece he knew nothing about. Sterling was skeptical. She looked back at him and flashed a small smile to show she wasn't a threat. Sterling didn't really see any reason to say no and the fact that Carabosse wouldn't be around meant it would be a safe place for both of them. Sterling nodded, showing he agreed with her and Carabosse quietly left with Sterling guiding her out. She glanced at Ebony and the young Vantablack nodded slightly before the older Vantablacks left the room, leaving Clair and Ebony alone.

"Huh? Everyone seems to treat auntie Cara like that," Ebony stated happily to Clair to help lighten the mood. She walked up to Clair to stand by her side.

"Really? Everyone?"

"She doesn't have the best reputation in our family, but she's pretty cool and nice when you get to know her," Ebony told Clair who was thinking about her aunt.

"Yeah, she has her moments, but no one's a saint. I think she's alright, I mean she has to be to look after me after my parents died, but let's not go into that. I want to know about you, Clair," Ebony told her, but Clair wanted to know more about her. She was feeling sympathy for her new cousin.

"Sure, what do you want to know?" Clair asked, deciding to drop her previous thought altogether, choosing to fulfill Ebony's request instead. Ebony smiled once more at Clair's compliance. Her silver eyes were filled with mischief.

 **Setting: Concordia**

After receiving an earful of threats from her older brother, Carabosse stood outside the building while watching the people pass by. She fondly thought what would happen to them if something big happened that change their lives forever. The idea of affecting a large group of people like this was something she wanted to do. She wanted to see the ripple effect of such a thing, how would it affect the people, those connected to them, and the world of Remnant, which is why she came to Fortuna. Three hours passed and Carabosse remained in her spot still people gazing until Ebony finally exited Concordia. The young Vantablack walked to her aunt with several papers and a few files in her hand.

"I take it your objective was a success?" Carabosse asked Ebony.

"She gave me everything and more. Here." Ebony gave Carabosse the papers and files. "It's a shame I had to use my semblance on her. She seemed like a really nice girl," Ebony said, but showed no sign of regret.

"Bury that feeling until it stops breathing. It won't help you in the long run," Carabosse instructed Ebony before looking at the papers given to her.

On the papers were written information about the layout of Fortuna, including the old Fortuna buried beneath the sand. In the files was information about specific people who live in the city. Carabosse smirked when she skimmed through the personal data of the members of Team BASG, Team CLSH, and the members of Team VRSZ. Her attention was directed toward Violet's information after meeting the girl earlier. She read more about her personal life, semblance, and work as a freelancer, but what really caught Carabosse's eye was Violet's real name; Alyssa Underland.

"The day is almost over Ebony," Carabosse told her niece while looking at the sunset. "Let's find a place to stay and review notes. This is going to be marvelous."

Ebony smirked to herself and walked with her ant to find a place to stay the night in Fortuna. Back inside Clair's office, the Lady of Fortuna had a stress headache. She was mentally berating herself for what she did.

 _"_ _How could I do something so foolish. Willingly giving Ebony all that information because she asked nicely? I don't care if she's family, that was a rookie mistake and I need to get those back. What does she even want with them? And why did I say she could have them?"_ she thought feeling deeply troubled by her blunder.

Thinking about what to do next, Clair decided the best course of action was to call her uncle Sterling. She needed advice and more importantly, information about Carabosse.

 **Setting: Vantablack**

Silver and Zelts were driving the Fantasia back to base after dropping off Loden. The vehicle`They weren't feeling great after getting their butts handed to them by Grayson's Ravagers and wanted to head home to lick their wounds. Silver was planning to cook something special to make to feel better; bacon glazed in maple syrup, a delicacy that was a favorite among the members of the team, but he was going to do his best to keep it all to himself. Zelts was driving on the road to their base with Silver leaning against the passenger door with a defeated look until he noticed two people who caught his eye.

He looked at Carabosse and Ebony walking on the side of the road then suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Zelts felt it as well and wondered what it was. Silver looked at Ebony with a questioning look. He didn't know if she was a boy or a girl, but he was leaning toward girl.

"Hey Zelts, check out that girl," he told his friend.

Zelts looked over before they passed the two and said, "...No, that's a guy."

"What are you talking about? That's totally a girl! Fix your eyes old man," Silver defended.

"Old man? I'm only two years older than you, you dual-haired bonehead!"

The two bickered about Ebony all the way till they reached the base where they met Remus, who was tired from training, and Violet, who was still a little distraught after meeting the two new Vantablacks.

 **Setting: Hotel Room**

Carabosse and Ebony were resting in a hotel they found walking through Fortuna. The older Vantablack was sitting on the bed while reading each paper and file while the younger one was laying on the couch while playing with her scroll.

"This place has really nice rooms," Carabosse told her niece.

"Especially when they're free," Ebony said with a satisfied grin.

"Once again, your semblance is a spectacular thing. You should be proud."

"How do you know it was my semblance that got us the room and not my charming personality?" Ebony joked.

"Because as charming as you are, it wouldn't be enough to help you get almost everything you want in the world. It's all thanks to your semblance, a weapon you should continue temper if you want it to get stronger."

"Yes, auntie Cara," Ebony said, responding in the same way a child would when being lectured about the same subject for umpteenth time.

Carabosse read the personal information of everyone on those papers, learning about their personality, weapon choice, semblance, and origin. She found all of them to be quite interesting, but the ones who caught her interest were Hazel, Ghost, and Zelts' Heart of Gold. She decided that they are the ones she wanted for herself. Carabosse was also interested in Violet and her real name.

 _"_ _Underland. I knew I recognized that name,"_ she thought with a grin. _"Perfect, next thing to do is to find people strong enough to defeat them. Young Ebony and I could do it no problem, but with for something as grand as this, we need some hired help,"_

Carabosse continued to read Violet's information and learned that she and Team VRSZ have an occupation as freelancers as well as the name of their main competition.

 _"_ _Hm, Grayson's Ravagers?"_ A smile of pure evil crept onto Carabosse's face. Her plan to destroy Fortuna and reap her rewards has reached another step.

"Ebony dear, I'm going to be out of town tomorrow. Please find a way to occupy your time until I return," she told her niece.

 _"What the hell am I supposed to do while she's gone?"_ Ebony wondered.

A few papers from the files feel to the ground near the couch. Ebony glanced down to see what fell and saw the profiles of Remus, Silver, and Zelts, but focused mostly on their profile pictures. She moaned internally when she looked at all three of them. _"Oh. I found something to do tomorrow,"_

* * *

 **Ebony's semblance is Charm. It's a tricky and dangerous semblance that allows her to influence people into doing what she wants. This happens when Ebony talks to people and persuading them to bend to her will. It's similar to Malinda's Trance semblance, but different. Trance is complete mind control, forcing people do things against their will. Charm is influencing people into doings things Ebony wants them to do and they believe it was of their own volition without ever realizing they have been under the effect of Charm. Even without her semblance, Ebony is a very charming person that can swoon almost everyone she meets. Carabosse is only person who is completely immune to her semblance.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39: The Malevolent Vantablack**

 **Setting: Desert**

It was the dawn of a new day and Carabosse was already making her move. She was traversing through the desert alone with no means of transportation. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her left hand then reached for the large canteen of water she carried around her waist. Carabosse was certainly not dressed for traveling through the desert, especially since she's wearing the same thing she did yesterday, but it didn't matter to her because she reached her destination. Carabosse was in front of Grayson's base, the large, carved out rock next to the small oasis that he and the Ravagers called home. Outside the base was their large doom, but it had some weaponry like missiles and some kind of laser gun. Carabosse approached the rock formation while hearing the voices of several people from the inside.

She entered the giant rock to see the Ravagers. Alexandrite was doing squats while carrying a giant, green crystal over her head. Grayson was sitting a large table where he was dividing a large pile of Lien while sharpening his grapple sword and letting Shiranui take over money management. The inside of the base has improved greatly from when they first moved in. The base had weapons sorted on the side of a wall and a collection of dust next to it. There was some kind of contraption in the corner that seemed to be a miniature CTC tower with a small screen attached to the middle, most likely for watching television, and a radio at the bottom. There were sections with beds throughout the cave that were the personal areas of the four Ravagers. The improvement of the base was proof of the Ravagers' success.

The first one to notice Carabosse's presence was Shiranui as his long, foxtail frizzled from the horrible feeling her aura gave off. Grayson felt a chill down his spine and Alexandrite stopped doing squats and let the crystal over her head disintegrate once she felt her aura. Carabosse was glad to see she got the reaction she wanted out of the three mercenaries, but what she didn't see or expect was to be tackled from behind. Sitting on top of her was Platinum who was too insane to notice the Vantablack's disturbing aura. Platinum had a wicked sneer on her face while Carabosse's was calm.

"I take it that you're Grayson?" Carabosse said while keeping her gaze on the Ravagers' leader.

Grayson got up and walked around the table with a skeptic look. Shiranui eyed her suspiciously as well while keeping one hand close to his lantern whip just in case he needed to take action. Alexandrite's giant lance was on the other side of the base, but she was more than ready for a brawl. Grayson walked to the other side of the table and leaned against it while looking down at Carabosse, wondering what to do next. People never come here and if they do, his usual move was to kill them to prevent them from revealing his location, but Carabosse was such a mystery that he wanted to know what she wanted. He could admit to himself that he was slightly wary of her. Even though Platinum had her pinned to the ground with her arm as a blade lying just against her neck, Grayson felt that the Vantablack was in a position of power.

"Depends on who's asking?" Grayson said, putting up a front while he still felt her aura suffocate the entire base.

Platinum was beginning to feel her aura as well, but instead of feeling fear or dread, she thought it was exhilarating. She was getting an adrenaline high and it was like an aphrodisiac to her which wasn't surprising to her teammates since she loved dangerous things. Her body was burning up and she was beginning to fall in love with Carabosse. Platinum had the urge to kiss Carabosse while she was still pinned, but she suddenly felt drowsy. She didn't know why, but she was started to get extremely sleepy and her eyes were starting to close. Platinum went to sleep while sitting on top of Carabosse, who began to stand up from her position, causing the insane genius to fall onto the ground, sound asleep. Carabosse stood and dusted the sand off her clothes while everyone else was perplexed about what just happened to their teammate. She acted like she wasn't held captive when she spoke.

"That would be me, your new employer. You can call me Cara," Carabosse told them.

"Employer?" Grayson repeated in an offended tone.

He was also trying to figure out Carabosse did to Platinum. There was no moment or indication that she did anything, but he knew she had to have done something. Grayson just didn't know how she did it and it only showed that Carabosse was actually a dangerous individual.

Shiranui was observing her as well and concluded the only explanation was her semblance, but he didn't fully grasp how it worked. Alexandrite wasn't trying to figure out how Carabosse did it because she was approaching the older woman. She was obviously taller in stature, but it didn't intimidate the Vantablack in the slightest. Alexandrite stared her down with her now blue eyes while Carabosse glanced at her.

"Oh, such beautiful eyes. Is that hereditary?" Carabosse asked.

Alexandrite was about to confront Carabosse, but she was beginning to feel sleepy herself. She was sharing the same symptoms Platinum experienced a few moments ago. She was fighting the urge to sleep and trying her very best, but the grogginess wasn't going away and getting worse. Alexandrite was having a difficult time staying on her own two feet and it showed with the way her body was swaying. She looked like she was going to fall at any moment and she did when Carabosse poked her in the chest with her index finger. Alexandrite fell to the ground and started snoring.

Grayson was beginning to worry about what was going to happen next. This woman took down two of his strongest Ravagers in a matter of seconds with actually attacking them. This person was incredibly dangerous and that fact that she wanted to hire them for something made Grayson debate whether they should take whatever job she wanted them to do. He was planning to say no because he refused to be involved with someone like Carabosse, someone with some kind of ambition that he couldn't figure out. He didn't believe there was a price she could offer that could get him to agree until Carabosse offered the one thing Grayson wanted more than anything else.

"Would you like to know the location of the freelancers' base?" Carabosse asked with a small grin.

Grayson looked at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. His expression gradually changed from shock to a wicked, disgusting smile. Carabosse just offered him the one thing he would never refuse and she knew it.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Unknown to the evil scheme that was being born, the members of Team VRSZ were simply enjoying their morning together. Silver was in the kitchen, but he wasn't cooking like usual. Instead, Zelts was the one making scrambled eggs in a large frying pan for everyone to enjoy while Silver sat at the island and watched. Silver mentioned how nice it was not to cook for once, even though he enjoyed doing it. He thought that this was what it was like to have a wife cook for him, but Zelts corrected him in saying that he was cooking for everyone and if the two of them were in a relationship, Silver would be the wife.

Violet was sleeping soundly in her room with her head filled with pleasant dreams. It didn't last long when Remus teleported inside and perched himself above Violet to wake her up like he did almost every morning. He nudged her awake which would make anyone groan in annoyance, but Violet has woken up like this so much that it doesn't bother her in the slightest. She opened her eyes with Remus being the first thing she saw every morning and she would have a warm smile every time.

While Zelts was putting the eggs on a large plate, Remus teleported to the living room and walked to the kitchen just in time to grab a plate. Silver followed suit and all three boys got themselves a plate of scrambled eggs. Remus went into the living and started up the game console connected to the television so he could eat and play games at the same time. Silver was pouring himself some coffee, Zelts was grabbing himself two pieces of toast he put in the toaster prior to scrambling eggs, and Violet came down the stairs fully dressed and ready to eat. Violet got her plate and sat on the couch, sitting next to Remus to watch him play his game. Silver and Zelts remained at the island to eat there.

The four of them were enjoying their morning breakfast until they heard a knock on the door. Remus was going to get and get it, but Violet told him to stay and play his game while she got it. Violet walked to the front door and opened it to see who would to see them in the morning. On the other side of the door was someone she would never have guessed come to their home.

"Hey. Violet, right?" Ebony asked with a pleased expression.

"…Ebony?" Violet remembered Ebony from the other day, but she didn't expect the new Vantablack to come to her home. "Uh... hi. Why are you here?"

"I was chatting with Clair the other day and she kept bringing you and your team up so much that I had to come to see for myself. I hope you don't mind? I wouldn't want to intrude," Ebony lied with a cool facade while influencing Violet with Charm. She knew all about them from the files she read last night, but she kept that part out.

Violet couldn't find a reason to turn her away. She was the cousin of her best friend and seemed like a decent person, especially compared to the creepy vibe Violet received from Carabosse. She decided to let Ebony inside to meet her team, even though any semblance of doubt she had in the back of her mind were dropped.

"O-of course. Please, come in," Violet said while moving out of Ebony's way to let her in.

Ebony casually walked inside the team's base and scanned the area. Her eyes immediately landed on Remus and she looked at him with a besotted expression. Remus stopped playing his game when he noticed a new face in the base. He stood to his feet and walked to Ebony.

"Remus, this is Ebony Vantablack. She's Clair's cousin and-" Violet stopped introducing Ebony when she noticed the enamored look on her face when she looked at Remus. It was like a predator eyeing its prey and Violet wasn't sure what to make of that.

Remus raised his hand to shake Ebony's and said, "It's nice to meet y-" Ebony grabbed his hand then leaned in to kiss it which surprised both Remus and Violet.

"The pleasure is mine, handsome," Ebony said seductively before pulling him in close.

Remus wasn't sure what to do. He felt completely paralyzed from the Vantablack's overwhelming presence. Ebony was equal in height with Remus and Violet, but under her silver-eyed gaze, he felt smaller and in her care. Violet was about to protest Ebony basically feeling up Remus, but Silver and Zelts included themselves into the conversation.

"Hey! You're that girl from yesterday," Silver said from his seat at the island.

"Oh hi!" Ebony said with a delicate smile while cupping Remus' face in her hand.

Zelts didn't want to bring up their argument in the car because he thought it would be very rude to talk about trying to guess her gender.

"Me and Zelts here saw you yesterday and were wondering if you were a guy or a girl. Looks like I was right," Silver told her with confidence.

 _"_ _Damn that moron,"_ Zelts thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose at his friend's lack of decency.

"Hahahaha… I get that a lot! Should've made a bet. Make some serious cash," Ebony joked.

"Wow! I might've found my new best friend!" Silver said with a smirk. "Name's Silver Synch. This lovable loser here is Zelts."

Zelts stood from his seat then said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ebony."

"Believe me, the pleasure is mine," Ebony said.

She licked the corner of her lips while scanning Silver's face and Zelts' amazing physique. She was laughing internally at pretty suggestive thoughts about Violet's boys.

 _"_ _Hehehehe…They're all so lovely. I want to feel Zelts' abs all day, look at Silver's face and play with his hair, and Remus… hehehehe… he's probably my favorite,"_ Ebony thought, keeping her true nature to herself.

Though no one heard her inner monologue, the male members of VRSZ noticed she was silent for a while, but the sole female on the team was suspicious of her. Ebony's staring at Silver and Zelts were one thing, but her seductive actions towards Remus was too much for her. She wasn't even sure why the Vantablack was here.

"Clair praised you all so much that I had to come and see for myself and I have to say, you look the part of professional freelancers," Ebony complimented even though every word she said was a lie.

"Professional freelancers? I guess though it's kind of a thing we made up. Probably won't find anyone else in Remnant with that occupation, but yeah, we're awesome, especially me. I basically carry this whole team on my back, and I technically can with my semblance," Silver bragged, feeling pretty confident after Ebony's praise.

Violet rolled her eyes at his modesty and Zelts shook his head in comedic disapproval, but Remus nodded in agreement. He thought they were pretty awesome too.

"The other reason I came here is that I'd like to hire one of you," Ebony said, but here proposal was directed at Remus, Silver, and Zelts. This didn't go unnoticed by Violet who was skeptic about Ebony's _mission_.

"What kind of job?" Violet asked.

"My aunt and I are leaving today and I would like to see if any of you would like to be our bodyguard until we reach our next destination," she answered. "It'll be a week-long venture, but I can make worth your while," she said seductively to Silver and Zelts.

For fun, Ebony didn't use Charm with her request just to see how'd they react. Violet felt like Ebony was like a female version of Copper Periwinkle Vantablack, but much more aggressive with a higher success rate. Silver scratched the back of his neck and looked away from the Vantablack's gaze. "Gee, that sounds nice and I'm flattered, but I don't think I can accept. Plus, I'm in a relationship and if Bianca found out, she'd rip my throat out. Sorry, can't do it."

"Same," Zelts replied quickly and doing his best to show no emotion in his statement. "Lily wouldn't be happy about this no matter how I told her. And a week-long mission isn't really our style either."

"Aw… Alright," Ebony said, feigning displeasure, then turned to Remus.

She kept her silver gaze on him and he felt paralyzed. This was the first time someone was trying to make any advances on him and he didn't know how to respond. He felt intimidated, but it wasn't the same kind of intimidation he felt in battles against Romulus or Chrome. It was a strange new sensation he wasn't sure about.

"How about you accompany me? We could even spend the day together then rendezvous at my place for…a little late night-" Ebony stepped closer to Remus until Violet got in between them.

"He's seventeen," she stated rather defensively. Violet made sure to keep a confused Remus at bay from this person.

"Mmm… I can wait for Baby-blue here to ripen a bit. For now, how about a little taste test?" Ebony said, coincidentally using the same nickname Alexandrite had for Azura.

She walked around Violet and leaned in to kiss Remus on the cheek while discretely planning to get the corner of his mouth, but Violet intervened again by placing her index finger on Ebony's puckered lips.

"Nope. He's not interested," Violet told Ebony in a comically defensive tone.

 _"_ _Ah. He's already spoken for, is he? That's fine. I like a challenge,"_ Ebony thought in her head, but said, "Very well. I'll stop teasing him."

She suddenly heard the chime on her scroll then pulled it out. Ebony looked at what was presented to her and pouted for a second before returning to her charming grin. She received a message from Carabosse telling her to stay out of trouble while she's not in Fortuna. Ebony wanted to play with Team VRSZ a little more but knew how annoying her aunt could be when she didn't listen.

"Aw, I guess it's time for me to take my leave," she said then walked toward the door.

"So long VRSZ. Maybe we'll see each other again. I certainly hope so." Ebony exited their base, leaving a remarkable impression on every single one of them.

"I like her. Very charismatic," Silver said.

"She's quite eccentric and forthcoming, but I must agree," Zelts added.

"..." Remus didn't know what to think.

 _"_ _Who is she really?"_ Violet thought to herself. She questioned Ebony's motives, but for some reason didn't see her as a threat. Despite the fact that she came on to Remus, she was very charming. Violet actually liked her and felt like they could be good friends.

 **Setting: Ravagers' Base**

Grayson sat at one end of his table with Shiranui at his side and Carabosse sat on the other. The two were discussing what exactly she wanted the Ravagers for while Alexandrite and Platinum were still asleep on the ground, even though an hour and a half has passed. Shiranui told Grayson to be cautious of Carabosse's semblance since it could happen in an instant and without warning. So far, the only thing she has done is tell them that the freelancers were stationed in Fortuna, the city on the rise. Grayson kept his advice in mind but was more focused on what Carabosse had to offer if she was willing to tell him where to find Violet and her friends.

"So, what do you want us to do exactly? I'm not stupid enough to actually believe you'd tell us the location on the freelancers' headquarters without wanting something big," Grayson asked Carabosse.

"Because I want to destroy Fortuna and Team VRSZ is one of the great obstacles in the way of my goal," Carabosse answered, but Grayson was confused.

"Team… VRSZ?" he repeated. "I thought we were talking about the Violet and her freelancers, not some group of huntsmen."

"Oh. I guess you only know them by their occupation. Regardless, I need your team to attack their team and bring forth destruction in Fortuna. You'll be a grand distraction while I collect the things I need. Once you and your comrades cause enough panic, the Grimm will come and take care of the rest."

"Ravaging is what Ravagers do best, but out of curiosity, why do you crave Fortuna's destruction? As a mercenary, I don't see the profit" Grayson asked.

"…Are you aware of the tragedy that befell Vale? The Fall of Beacon?" Carabosse asked.

 **Setting: Concordia**

Clair was sitting in her office where she was doing no work at her desk, just tapping her finger impatiently. She had no documents and she told her enforcers to leave her alone because she didn't want them worrying over something that could possibly be nothing. She was waiting for someone to come in and that person was running a little late which was making Clair a little restless. This lasted for about three minutes until the doors to her office opened with Sterling Vantablack entering. She changed her anxious face to one of comfort.

"Retirement suits you uncle," she said to Sterling with a smile.

"Half retirement. I still watch over Copper to make sure he adjusts to working at Moneta. If anything, I'm just overseeing things until he gets the hang of it. Now, what did you want to discuss with me, dear?" Sterling asked in a content tone.

"It's about Carabosse." Clair saw how Sterling's expression quickly changed to dread. His younger sister was obviously a topic he didn't like to talk about.

"Why do you need to know anything about her? She's going to be gone and we'll never have to deal with her again."

"I know you don't like her and I know some members of our family feel the same, but I don't know exactly why. Rumors were the only source of information I could rely on when I was younger, but I'm an adult now. I can take it. I'd just like to know what's the big deal with aunt Carabosse," Clair confessed to her uncle who gave in to her plea.

"Very well… Now where to start? You are already aware that many members of our family have some kind of influential role in many government parties and connections with several figureheads throughout Remnant. Carabosse is one of them, but unlike us, she doesn't look to help them prosper but brings ruin. She has been a part of many groups in the past and each one has fallen. Most were small, so their destruction was considered insignificant or common for new expansions and small, upstart towns, though one was more prominent than most. I'm sure you heard of Vale's first expansion of Mountain Glenn. It was overrun by Grimm, but make no mistake, it was where Carabosse was stationed and she clearly had a hand in its failure."

Clair listened to what Sterling told her calmly. She wasn't a child who couldn't believe there was nothing wrong with her family. Clair was aware of her aunt's horrific aura but saved face by reacting calmly when in her presence. There was something very wrong with Carabosse, but until she figured out her aunt's motives. Since she couldn't gather any information and gave some to Ebony, she needed to get a clear description of Carabosse. Clair knows very well how to play the game and has been doing it for years.

"What exactly does she want?" she asked Sterling, wanting to get to the reason she called him.

"To put it simply, Carabosse enjoys chaos. She likes to spread misfortune because she enjoys seeing far and how deep her actions can affect the lives of her victims. Basically, she's fascinated with pandemonium and collecting those who can help spread it. She's dangerous Clair and she won't hesitate to hurt family, including me and you," Sterling told his niece.

"…So that's why you wanted her out of here yesterday. You were concerned about her choice to make Fortuna her next target?" Clair asked, but Sterling shook his head.

"I was concerned that she was going to harm you. If anything happened to you, or Onyx, or Copper because of Carabosse, I wouldn't be able to live with myself," Sterling admitted it with pain in his voice.

"…Uncle… thank you. Always looking out for me. What would I do without you?" Clair said merrily.

"I'm sure you'd do fine," Sterling said with a smile. "Carabosse and Ebony will be leaving by the end of the day, though it doesn't seem your aunt is in Fortuna at the moment. She's been gone for quite some time."

"What do you make of that?"

"For now, a blessing, but predicting her movements is fairly difficult. Even I don't know what she wants by coming here. It might be Fortuna or it might be you, but whatever it is, it can't be good," Sterling concluded.

Clair grew worried about what she learned about her aunt and what her true agenda was. This was a mystery she felt like she wouldn't be able to solve.

 **Setting: Ravagers' Base**

While Clair and Sterling were discussing Carabosse's motives, Carabosse herself was discussing her motives with Grayson and his team. Carabosse finally allowed Platinum and Alexandrite to awaken from their slumber in order to listen.

"You guys will attack Fortuna, Team VRSZ, and spread panic and fear throughout the city, but they are certain objectives I need you to fulfill as well," Carabosse told Grayson.

"What for?" he asked.

"You four are very powerful individuals, but Fortuna is a well-protected city. The fact that it has advanced so far in Vacuo speaks volumes, but it has many weaknesses that can be exploited and we'll attack the biggest one, along with several locations first," Carabosse explained as she brought out the blueprints of Fortuna for them to read. Grayson took the papers and handed them to Shiranui who read them himself.

"Fortuna has underground passageways that connect to most of the city. Very few people know about it so it's never guarded. We'll use them to get around unnoticed and reach two locations; Concordia and Team VRSZ's base. Before attacking those two, you'll attack Fortuna's biggest weak spot, it's a prison," Carabosse explained to Grayson's team.

"Oh! Sounds like fun!" Platinum said with excitement.

"…" Alexandrite stayed silent.

"Why the prison?" Shiranui asked in Grayson's place.

"Fortuna isn't secure enough of a city to have its own prison, but it's too far away from Vacuo to send prisoners there. I'm sure there are some dangerous characters in there that would love to take their aggression out on the city. Use them as a distraction to thin their defenses and cause more panic. After the prison is destroyed and the prisoners are let loose, attack Concordia and Team VRSZ's base."

"You must've planned this for weeks. It seems like you have everything figured out," Grayson complimented.

"Actually, I came up with this over-night. It wasn't that difficult, but it's not one of the best plans I've ever come up with," she told him and it made him realize how intelligent and cunning Carabosse was.

"The Fall of Beacon was a masterpiece. I don't know who orchestrated such a tragedy, but it surpassed anything I've done before. I want to try a reach that level of pandemonium and Fortuna is the perfect canvas," Carabosse said with a happy face, showing her ambition and malevolent nature.

"Impressive," Shiranui admitted, but more out of a mixture of awe and fear. "Is this all you need us to do?"

"Basically. Attack these places, then you can attack Team VRSZ to your heart's content," Carabosse told them, but Grayson was wondering one thing.

"What the hell will you be doing while all of this is going down? I know damn well not to trust someone when they offer you everything you want on a silver platter and you're clearly smart enough to know that too. What is your angle?" Grayson questioned.

"True, you will fight those you desire, but it's just to serve as a distraction for me. There are some people of interest I'd like to… recruit into my ranks. I just hope they agree. No one you need to concern yourselves with, however-" Caraboose passed the files of Ghost and Hazel to Grayson to look at.

"If you encounter these two, don't kill them. Bring them to me instead. Whether this mission is a success or a failure, you will be paid handsomely and any spoils you find during the mission is yours to take. Do we have an accord?" Carabosse asked with a devious smile.

"…Deal," Grayson accepted with his own evil smirk. "I can't wait to grind Violet into dust."

"Oh, that's another thing. Violet will be coming with me when this is all over. Fight her, but do not kill her and bring her to me. Understood?"

"…" Grayson was silent about the matter.

"Is that understood?" Carabosse repeated, but with a little more authority.

"….Yeah," Grayson spat out after a moment of silence. "She's yours."

"Thank you for your cooperation," Carabosse smiled one last time before getting up to leave their base.

As she walked out of their base, Grayson watched on with a serious look. Shiranui leaned down to Grayson with his eyes on Carabosse as well. His long tail was swaying back and forth, waiting for the Vantablack to get out of earshot before speaking to his comrade.

"She's clearly a dangerous person, one we shouldn't take lightly. Do you trust her?"

"Of course not. I know her type. The ambitious ones that'll use every tool at their disposal to achieve their goal. We're just tools to her, but we won't be doing everything she says, Grayson told Shiranui and his team.

"What are you going to do?" Alexandrite asked with her eyes changing to purple.

"First, I don't plan on handing Violet to anyone. She dies by my hands only. Don't take her to that woman if you find her. Bring her to me so I can put an end to her. Next, with that witch finding our base, we've been compromised. Once the dust settles in Fortuna, we'll take over and make it our new base of operations."

"Ahahaha! That's what I like about you, Grayson. Always one step ahead, mastering the masters and having impossible goals. This is the best!" Platinum said with her body heating up from excitement.

"Good to hear, because this is a big job and I'm going to need you to bring out the big guns. Bring out everything in that junkyard you keep in the back."

"…Really? You mean it?" Platinum asked, almost disbelieving what Grayson was telling her until he said her favorite words.

"Go nuts."

She smiled bigger than she ever smiled before then ran outside the base and around. The three of them could hear her tinkering in the back and so did Carabosse who was a distance away. She didn't look back, but her thoughts were on the Ravagers, especially Grayson. She shared the same thoughts he had of her.

 _"_ _I don't trust that punk or his vagabond group, but I don't need them for the long haul. Just the beginning so all eyes are on them. I need to get my new recruits,"_ she thought while thinking about Ghost, Hazel, and Clair, along with Zelts' weapon. Carabosse pulled out her scroll and texted Ebony to be prepared to leave Fortuna so they could make the final preparations to their plan.

"And Violet- no, Alyssa. I have something very special planned for you," Her twisted mind was now focused on her wicked plan for Violet.

"Enjoy your last days in Vacuo, your last day with your friends. No more wonderland for you Alyssa. It's time to come back to reality."

The evil was growing and the Vantablack's plan has been decided. Combined with Grayson and the Ravagers, Carabosse was becoming an even more formidable threat. Even though the two factions did not see eye-to-eye, but their different goals still meant Team VRSZ and Clair were in danger. Fortuna's last days were getting shorter and so were the days of the Freelancers. Tragedy, pain, hatred, despair, these were the things to come in a few short days.

* * *

 **Carabosse is incredibly shrewd and would never reveal or explain her semblance to just anyone. She calls her semblance Somnus and it's the ability to induce others into sleep. With so many years of mastering her semblance, she can use it in so many unique ways. Carabosse can either control how long her victims sleep when she's in the vicinity or determine how long they sleep when she leaves them behind. The longest she has made someone sleep was five months, leaving them in an unresponsive, comatose state. Carabosse can also remove sleep from an individual, inducing perpetual insomnia which works as a form of torture. She can also wake up others no matter their sleeping conditions. Any being that sleeps is vulnerable to her semblance, making it incredibly dangerous.** **The name of her semblance pays homage to my previous username.**

 **No specific details about the failure of Mountain Glenn were described so far, so I added Carabosse to show how her actions have affected even people in RWBY's story. The events of the RWBY series affected her as well. She was completely captivated by the Fall of Beacon and wants to create something like that for herself. In a way, the events of the RWBY series is finally going to affect the people of the VRSZ series.**

 **Carabosse is an individual who loves chaos, very similar to an anarchist. She also has an interest in those whose semblances can also spread chaos and affect the people. It's shown in her desire to obtain Ghost, Hazel, and Clair. Zelts' Heart of Gold is a powerful weapon that can devastate towns and cities if used properly which is something she'd like to have as well. Her motives for Violet are different and cruel.**

 **Ebony is like Prince Charming, but instead of trying to charm princesses, she likes to charm boys. She is similar to C.P. in that manner but is more successful as men have been smitten by her before. She has taken a liking to the male members of Team VRSZ, especially Remus which doesn't go unnoticed by Violet. It would be child's play for Ebony to make any guy fall for her using Charm, but she prefers not to. She says she a predator that enjoys the hunt for her prey. Even without her semblance, Ebony has captured the hearts of many with her natural charisma.**

 **The files on Team VRSZ gave Ebony access to their scroll numbers. She texted Remus telling him that she'll wait for him to eighteen. Remus may have known what she wanted through her physical advances, but has no idea what she means by waiting till he turns eighteen.**

 **I never said the age of the two Vantablacks in the previous chapters, so here it is. Carabosse is 49 and Ebony is 21.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40: The Final Reprieve**

 **Setting: Fortuna**

It has been three days since Carabosse and Ebony left Fortuna. Clair and Sterling tried to keep tabs on their whereabouts, but failed to do so. After a few days of silence, Sterling summarized that his younger sister left with no desire to attack Fortuna, but to manipulate his niece somehow only to fail and leave. Not wanting to worry anymore, the two decided to drop the matter and return to their daily lives. Sterling continued to help his nephew, C.P., with working at Moneta. The young Vantablack did require some supervision and made sure he didn't just give any mission rewards to any pretty mercenaries. All in all, he enjoyed teaching C.P. and believed he could do this on his own. The Vantablack kept Sterling busy in his retirement and he liked it.

Today was one of those rare days that Clair got off work early. She decided to give her enforcers the day off as well so everyone could enjoy the day. Ghost was originally planning to go home and sleep the day away, but decided to be with Sapphire and spend the day together. He was having one of his own rare moments where he was the one who took the initiative in their relationship. He waited around Fortuna until she and the rest of Team CLSH finish their classes at Fortuna's training academy. Bianca was back at her apartment with Silver. They were spending some quality time together they couldn't usually get when Ghost was around haunting the apartment. Blood was doing his favorite thing, flying through the sky with his massive bat wings. He still didn't like the heat of the desert, but brought several bottles of water with him to keep hydrated.

The Lady of Fortuna herself decided to spend her leisure day in Team VRSZ's base. She had no grand escapades planned like she usually does with Violet, instead, she was lounging around. Clair was sitting on the front porch of the base with Zelts. She received a message on her scroll from Evergreen about how she was doing and it started an entire conversation. She giggled and blushed several times as the two girls exchanged messages. She was happy to stay in contact with her old flame, even wondered if Evergreen could hold her next concert in Fortuna while she was still on tour in Vacuo. Zelts was standing on the other side of the porch, doing the same thing with Lily. Not being able to see his girlfriend every other day, the two of them fill the void by texting, sharing what they did during the week, their feelings and more.

While Zelts and Clair were busy on their scrolls with their partners, Violet and Remus were in the front yard training together. Violet asked Remus to help her practice using her kukris since his weapon also transformed into dual weapons which closely resembled her own. She wanted to use Remus' style to see the difference the way they fight. Remus was getting something out of this as well. As the only member that doesn't use dust in his battle style, Remus wants to use it to add more variety. He equipped Romulus with ice dust and the energy of the blades were white instead of blue. The two of them got into fighting stance and Violet immediately noticed how Remus wielded his dual swords. He held one normally in his hand and the other in a reverse grip, similar to how he used to switch grip with his old weapon.

"I see," Violet said to herself.

She changed her grip of one of her kukris to reverse to mirror Remus' fighting stance. Violet wanted to see if this could work for her then engaged Remus in battle. She dashed toward him and he did as well. Knife clashed with sword as the two began their bout with their spectators not paying attention. Violet swung her knifes at Remus swiftly and precisely, but he parried each one. She wasn't a slouch when it came to knife fighting, but Violet noticed immediately the difference of having one kukri in reverse grip. It was difficult to land hits with it and Remus capitalized on that by slashing her left shoulder, but only damaging her aura. Remus stopped attacking after the hit and Violet wondered why until she felt cold. She looked to see there was a trail of ice running down her shoulder where Remus got her. He was surprised this was the effect ice dust had with his weapon. Just for fun, he let the tip of one of his swords touch the ground and ice formed where it made contact. He spun around to see a trail of ice follow and smiled at his own amusement.

Violet activated the fire dust in the kukri in her right hand to cloak her weapon in flames. She brought it up to her shoulder to melt the ice. She summarized reverse grip was more Remus' thing and something she shouldn't employ commonly until she got a better handle of it. Once she felt ready to continue with practice, Violet lunged for Remus while he was playing and slashed downwardly, knocking one of his swords out of his hand. She put one kukri to his neck and giggled teasingly.

"Don't let your guard down," she told him.

"Ehehe… sorry," Remus said before making the next move.

He smiled before using Checkpoint to teleport to where his sword landed. He quickly picked it up and attacked Violet by swing his blades at her, but she blocked with her knives. The to battled again, but got a little more into it than before. Violet started adding kicks to her attacks and Remus transformed Romulus from dual swords to double-bladed staff form so he could use one hand to attack and block. She tried to kick him high, but Remus ducked and used his open palm to push her leg away, giving him a chance to strike with his weapon, but Violet countered by pivoting her body around and attacking with one of her kukris. She used the ice dust in her knife to cover it and her hand in a thick ice to function as armor. Her frozen arm clashed Romulus with the blade creating more ice on impact and getting the weapon stuck to her arm. Before Remus could react, Violet quickly brought her leg out and swept his feet, causing him to fall over. Violet quickly pounced then sat on top of him, pinning him to the sandy terrain. She activated the fire dust in her kukri to melt through the ice to free her hand along with Romulus.

Remus laid beneath Violet, defeated, and she smiled. It was a good training match and she learned a little bit about her style. Reverse grip was a possibility, but it was something she needed to practice. Remus learned what his weapon could do when combined with dust and planned to explore more of this uncharted territory. Violet decided the next training session should be outside the city where they could go all out, but they were satisfied with today's results.

"You leveled up," Violet said, using Remus' catchphrase.

"So did you," he said back.

Before Violet got off of Remus, Clair discreetly took a photo of the two in their compromising position for her own delight. She thought the two would be cute together, but were blissfully unaware of the situation. Violet helped Remus to his feet then walked to the front porch as Clair saved the photo then quickly put it away so her best friend wouldn't notice.

 _"_ _If only they could see what's right in front of them,"_ she thought.

"Over with practice already?" Zelts asked, to engrossed in his conversation with Lily to pay attention to his teammates sparring match.

"You'd know if you weren't texting with Lily," Violet said amusingly, showing she did noticed Zelts not watching their match.

"Hehehe… sorry."

"No worries. It was a short-lived fight, but it showed me what I need to work on, plus I thought of something new to add to my arsenal. I just need to head to the Bazaar and buy a strong coil. Anyone want to come along?" Violet offered.

"I'd love to go on shopping date with you, but I can't. I need to head back to Concordia and make some preparations. Evergreen and I arranged for her to perform here in Fortuna in a week, so some things have to be done beforehand," Clair told them.

"Silver's going to love that," Remus stated.

"I know, that's why I asked Evergreen to give him free backstage passes. After the assassin incident, the two of them shared numbers and have been keeping in touch. They hit it off very well and I'm sure she would've given it to him before I asked her to. Well, I'll off then," Clair said before leaving. "Have a wonderful day, freelancers."

The three of them waved goodbye to their friend and Violet planned to leave for the Bazaar. Remus and Zelts joined Violet in her venture, but they would have to go on foot. The Fantasia was currently with Onyx undergoing repairs after Silver and Zelts' last mission against Grayson left the car riddled with gun shots and scratches. The three of them walked to one corner of Fortuna to where the Bazaar was located.

 **Setting: Ghost & Bianca's Apartment**

"YYYYYEEEEEESSSSSS!" Silver shouted which could be heard throughout the apartment building. He was sitting on the living room couch while Bianca just entered the area from her bedroom. She walked to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water, but obviously heard her boyfriend's loud bellow of joy.

"It took you this long to start yes? Did what we did in the bedroom affecting now? Talk about delayed reaction," Bianca said amusingly.

"Huh? No, it's not that. I got a text from Evergreen saying her next concert is going to be here. And we got backstage passes!" he said with excitement.

"Today must be your lucky day. You seem to be peaking at the moment, Silver," she said to an overjoyed gunslinger.

"Please. I haven't peaked. I'm still rising," he said with his usual _humble_ demeanor. "This has been the perfect day so far. I don't see it getting any better."

Silver relaxed on the couch while Bianca smiled at him. He received a text from Violet about going out shopping and asked if he wanted to join. He texted that he was going to stay with Bianca. She texted she understood and Silver put his phone away with a devious smile.

"Hey B, want to take this party to my place? My teammates just left the base," Silver offered.

Bianca giggled before answering, "No thanks. I don't think you want your perfect day to come to an end, especially not if the others come home early. Your day would come crashing down."

"…Yeah, you're probably right. Plus, we can continue where we left off here," Silver said with a cocky smirk.

"Unfortunately, you're wrong again. I have work to do for Lady Clair," Bianca told him, showing him her scroll with a message from the monarch herself, asking for her enforcer's assistance.

"What? Whhhyyyy?" Silver whined.

"Because she needs help getting Evergreen's concert organized. It was a spur of the moment decision created by the two of them after all," Bianca answered as she prepared to leave the apartment. "You can stay here if you want, but I'll be going to work. See you later, Silvester."

Bianca left her apartment, leaving Silver to groan in disappointment. The peak of his day ended and it was a downward slope for him. He looked to his scroll to figure out what he could do next then happened to glance at Violet's invitation to go shopping. He guessed she already left, but he could probably catch up with her. Silver had nothing else planned for the day, so he got and left for the Bazaar.

 **Setting: Ravagers' Base**

In the desert where Grayson and his team's base located and next to it was a large airship. Sounds could be heard from behind the stone fortress. It was the sound of heavy metal music and the sound of a welding torch. Behind the base was a large junkyard owned solely by Platinum. The area was littered with pieces of scrap metal and in the middle of it all was a massive metal construct. Hanging by the side of it was Platinum with her welding torch as she welded the side of her creation. On top of it was her scroll, playing the metal music to help her enjoy the task.

Inside the base were the other Ravagers and the two Vantablack women, Carabosse and Ebony. Grayson, Shiranui, and Carabosse were putting the finishing touches on their plan. Alexandrite and Ebony were watching from opposite sides, playing as each team's muscle. Alexandrite looked the part of intimidating bodyguard thanks to being physically built and had a scowl on her face that was directed at Ebony. The young Vantablack leaned against the wall and met Alexandrite's scowl with a small, confident grin. Her arms were folded and had a mechanical sword in a sheath that was wrapped around her waist. She thought it was amusing the tall woman was eyeing her, practically begging for a fight and Ebony would happily obliged, but her aunt would no doubt reprimand her. For now, she just had to wait, doing her best to pass the time by seeing how many different colors Alexandrite's eyes can change into when she blinks.

Carabosse told Ebony to come to her side and listen to the plan they created. Ebony listened to what her aunt told her and reviewed the plan. She knew why her aunt was doing this for her. It was to cultivate Ebony into another emissary of chaos. Carabosse wanted Ebony to be her successor. Ebony was following her aunt's footsteps in order to gain strength and power, but she planned to walk her own path.

 **Setting: Bazaar**

Violet, Remus, and Zelts were walking through the busy market street. Remus and Zelts were looking at the items they were selling at each vendor. Violet was happy to find a merchant that was actually selling cables. She bought one and wrapped it around one of her Cheshire's Enigmas to make a grappling hook for herself. Violet hated to admit it, but she got the idea from Grayson and his grapple sword. He was an asshole, but his weapon was very resourceful and not patent pending. Violet put her new weapon into her pouch full of other knives and went to meet up with her boys, well, two of her boys.

She has never admitted it out loud before, but Violet truly liked Silver. He was a good friend and she considered him to be like a brother. Granted, an annoying, self-conceited, abrasive, lying, decietful, jackass of a brother, but a brother nonetheless. Violet knew when they first met that it was hate at first sight, but over time, they gradually began to understand one another and form an actual bond. He proved himself to be a loyal and vital member to Team VRSZ, not mention Violet hasn't seen him indulge in any criminal activities recently. She hasn't seen him break into her room, loot her collection of dust, or rob scoundrels in back alleys.

 _"_ _Maybe he's actually turned over a new leaf,"_ Violet thought to herself while looking for the others.

"Alright, fork it over. Hurry up, I gotta meet with my team," a familiar voice said in a back alley.

Violet heard this and turned to see Silver mugging three punks. He had one of his guns pointed at them and the punks were pulling all the Lien they had, dropping to the floor then raising their hands up to show they were finished.

 _"_ _I take it back. He's still a thug,"_ Violet thought as she watched the whole thing go down.

"Start jumping," Silver told them.

All three guys were confused, but didn't want to question the demands of someone with a gun aimed at them. They all started jumping up and down, hearing the sound of jingling from the punk on the right. Silver looked at him and aimed his gun at him.

"Really? That's just gross. Drop the Lien on the ground, now," Silver told the frightened man.

"Once a crook, always a crook, huh? Can't go a day without mugging someone," Violet said, intervening on Silver taking their money.

"Hey Violet. Bianca had to do some work, so I decided to meet up with you guys here," Silver answered as he turned his head to Violet. "You here to stop me or something?"

"No, but you can put the gun away. We both know you weren't going to shoot them. That's not your style," Violet told him.

"…Alright," Silver sighed and put Fenrir into its holster. "But only because you said so."

One punk fell to his knees in relief and crawled to Violet, hugging her leg in gratitude, but to everyone else, it looked like groveling. "Thank you, thank you!" he repeated over and over.

Violet kicked him off her leg and said, "If you want to hug something, go hug a cactus. Come on Silver. We're done here." She and Silver walked away with the punks' stolen loot.

The two of them walked around the Bazaar to gather Remus and Zelts. Silver may have been late to partake in their shopping, but Violet thought of something all four of them could do together.

 **Setting: Edesia**

Violet took her boys to Edesia to get some late lunch since it was late in the day and none of them have eaten. All four of them were able to grab a table quickly and order their food. Sitting at their table, Silver was showing Zelts and Remus his text from Evergreen about backstage passes to her concert in Fortuna. Remus told Silver about his sparring match and the new way he used ice dust. Zelts talked about how he and Lily were texting earlier and were planning to meet up again. Violet watched as her boys conversed among each other and she smiled fondly at them. She loved these peaceful moments with them the most.

 _"_ _Hmm… Maybe I should stop calling them boys. They've grown up after all this time,"_ Violet thought.

"Oh yeah, I just came back from Ghost and Bianca's place. Don't want to brag, but coming here is technically my walk of shame," Silver bragged. "Though after my performance, I have nothing to be ashamed of."

Zelts shook his head in disapproval, Remus wasn't sure what a walk of shame was or what Silver was talking about, and Violet Silver's shin beneath the table. The silver-tongued gunslinger yelped in surprise and pain while Violet had a disapproving look.

 _"_ _Boys, I still work with boys,"_ Violet concluded.

Silver was about to protest, but the waitress came to their table with their food. Instead of yelling and making a scene like he usually would, Silver held his tongue to eat while play a video game against Remus via scrolls. Zelts and Violet talked amongst themselves will they played. Their conversation was about idle things until the subject somehow turned toward Ebony and Carabosse Vantablack.

Zelts has never met the latter, so he had no opinion of her. He had to rely on Violet's first and only encounter with Carabosse, and based on what she told him, she was a suspicious person. With very little information about Carabosse, they both had nothing else to say about her. Ebony was a different story. After meeting her a few days ago, Zelts confessed that he liked her. She was forthcoming, but nothing out of the ordinary. At first, Violet thought her behavior was strange, but looking back on her friendship with Clair and unpleasant conversations with C.P., she assumed being flirty and eccentric were common Vantablack traits. The two of them were gone now and were never the team's problem, but Violet wondered what a person like Carabosse could do.

"She's a Vantablack. Which means she is bound to have some influence somewhere, but I don't think she'll do anything bad," Zelts told Violet who didn't seemed convinced.

"I don't know Zelts. Carabosse seemed…different and dangerous. Anything from her will no doubt be wicked and corrupt. And there's no doubt it would affect everyone around her," Violet stated, feeling unsure about Carabosse.

"Almost sounds like you're looking for trouble. Don't overthink stuff like that. Do you need a sign that things are going south?" Zelts joked, but a sign did come when they were busy talking.

"Winner," Silver's scroll announced.

"I…won?" Silver said in disbelief.

"I lost?" Remus said in confusion.

Remus was raised by a scientist who taught him what he needed to know about battle and technology. Playing video games were so easy to him and he was unbeatable no matter what game genre or console he played. Silver challenged him every time and failed to beat him, until today. This was the first time in all their years that Remus has ever lost in a video game match. The revelation was so unexpected that Silver didn't even gloat like he would obviously do, instead, he was trying to figure out when during the game he got the upper hand.

After having lunch, the team decided to split up from here. Zelts was going to Ceres toward Team CLSH's home. The girls asked him to help them in combat training and he was more than happy to be their mentor for an hour or two. Silver was going to head home. He originally planned to spend the whole day with Bianca, but that was out of the question now so he was going to vegetate on the couch. Remus going outside of Fortuna in order to train with different types of dust. Violet didn't have anything planned. She looked at the sun as it began to set, telling her the day was beginning to turn to dusk. Violet decided to visit Onyx's workshop to check on the condition of the Fantasia.

All four members made their way toward their destinations. Remus was almost at the border, walking by Fortuna's prison, Silver was two blocks away from the base, Zelts was in Ceres, but still some ways from Team CLSH, and Violet was close to Concordia which was near Onyx's workshop. None of them or any denizen of Fortuna were aware of the airship high in the sky. The airship was too high for anyone to notice and it started to slowly descend near the city, specifically over the prison. It stopped descending in a spot, still unnoticed by anyone.

Standing on the deck of the airship was Platinum inside her massive metal contraption. It was an advanced Atlesian Paladin, but with Platinum's special modifications. It had rocket launchers, lasers, barreled guns and more armor that made it more powerful and more durable than any regular Paladin. Platinum's junkyard was full of stuff, but mostly Atlesian parts. Creating this monstrosity took up to ninety percent of the material in her junkyard and she was very proud of it, claiming it to be her greatest masterpiece so far. She was itching to get started as she waited for confirmation.

Inside the cockpit of her massive, mechanized battlesuit, Platinum made sure all systems were in order and all her weapons were fully loaded. Her scroll, which was connected to the battlesuit's systems received a call from Grayson. She started breathing heavily as the anticipation was killing her. Platinum's patience was finally rewarded when Grayson said those sweet words.

"Carabosse said it's time. You know what to do. Go insane," he told her then hung up.

Platinum felt a rush when she got the call. It was finally time to strut her stuff and test her masterpiece. She brought up a blueprint of Fortuna on the screen and activated her targeting system. She aimed it at the prison and pressed a button. One rocket was fired from its launcher and flew down to the prison. Platinum activated the battlesuit and jumped down from the airship, following the missile as they both fall from great heights.

To everyone living peacefully in Fortuna, the assault came out of nowhere. First came on explosion then two more. The mission orchestrated by Carabosse has already begun. Fortuna's final sun has set and soon it wouldn't be standing there to see the dawn.

 **Next Chapter: VRSZ Ravagers Part One**

* * *

 **This chapter was created to give Team VRSZ one final day of relaxation before the climax of the volume.**

 **Clair and Evergreen have rekindled their relationship. They're trying to make a long distance relationship. Clair desires the type of bond that Zelts and Lily have. One that is strong despite the distance and the spark is explosive when they finally close the gap.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41: VRSZ Ravagers Part One**

 **Setting: Fortuna's Prison**

Metal and fire came straight from the sky and destroyed the roof of the prison. The missile broke through the ceiling and the battlesuit falling through caused a chain reaction that destroyed a wall. Unfortunately, it was in the east prison section where a few of the prisoners were buried by rubble while the rest used this opportunity to escape into the city. Platinum didn't stop there as she flexed the arms of her battlesuit, using the machine's brute strength to destroy everything on the inside, but made sure to break open any cell gates of the prisoners. They flooded the prison and battled the guards for supremacy while Platinum aimed the barrel guns on her battlesuit's arms to open fire on every wall. The prison was reduced to rubble with a horde of prisoners rushing out of it and scattering to all directions in Fortuna. They were doing two things; Escape the city or loot the city. They all scattered around the city, causing the citizens to panic into a frenzy like Carabosse predicted. Seeing her initial goal accomplished, Platinum busted out of what remained of the prison and began to rampage. The only citizen in that district who didn't run away was Remus.

 **Setting: Concordia**

The explosion of the prison was heard everywhere in Fortuna. Clair was in her office when it happened and looked out her window to see the rising smoke. She was on her scroll, ready to mobilize her task force, but an explosion went off beneath Concordia. It shook the building and damaged all lot of the first floor, but it wasn't enough to cause the building to collapse. On the first floor, a hole was created in the middle of the room where the explosion just occurred. People on that floor were hurt, but mostly frightened. They ran out of the building in panic. The room was filled with smoke and fire, but some of the smoke was white for some reason. The white smoke began to move erratically then come together in one spot, forming it solid matter, into the Shiranui, the fox faunus. He didn't move to the stairs or make for the elevator, instead, Shiranui scanned the are then activated Wisp to turn to white smoke again. In this form, he traversed through building's floors undetected until he quietly entered Clair's office for a brief moment, observing her continue with her previous action of mobilizing her task force, then left the room and building altogether. He reformed on the building next to Concordia and pulled out his scroll. He put it up to one ear then put a finger in the other to cancel out the screams of Fortuna's denizens.

"The building is secured. Only the monarch is present in the building. Everyone else is evacuating, leaving her defenseless," Shiranui told his contact.

"A captain always goes down with the ship. Good job, Shiranui. Now scout around the perimeter. Her retainers should be somewhere around there. Just keep us informed about the enemy's location. Understood?" Grayson told his ally.

"…." Shiranui hesitated in answering. He felt like there was more that he could do for his leader and friend. "Isn't there…more I can do for this mission?" he asked with a yearning tone.

"Combat's not your forte Shiranui so stay out of unnecessary battles. However, if you come across any of the targets and you think you can take them down, then you have my permission."

"Thank you," Shiranui said graciously.

"But you are ordered to retreat if things get out of hand. I prefer not to lose my right-hand man," Grayson added before hanging up.

Even though he was a secondary ally of Grayson, Shiranui was happy to play a more active role in Carabosse's plan and Grayson's scheme. The fox faunus was ready to of use to Grayson, but was late in sensing the presence behind him. Grayson was right, Clair's retainers were always nearby. He turned around to see Bianca behind him, swinging the bayonet of her Archangels at his neck. She was going to slit his throat, but when the blade of her gun went through his neck white smoke appeared instead of blood. Shiranui was able to use Wisp in time to transform into smoke and reappear on the other side of the building's roof. He got a better look at Bianca and noticed her hair was shining. He pulled out his lantern whip and twirled the end with the burning lantern like it was a flail. Bianca didn't want to give him any more time to get ready so she dashed right at him and fired at him relentlessly.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ's Base**

Silver was the only member of VRSZ that was near the base. He was standing outside the base when he heard the commotion that was going on at the prison and then heard the explosion that came from Concordia, but didn't know what was going on. He was confused at what was happening and watched as a large group of people were running away in fear. He didn't know what to make of it and didn't have the time to figure it out because it was the base's turn to be assaulted by the enemy. The front of the base broke apart violently, but it wasn't by explosion like the prison or Concordia, this was done by sheer force. A large lance came from underground, piercing through the ground and through the porch and front of the base. Silver was knocked to the ground by the force and the lance that did the deed landed into the ground next to him. Silver looked at the massive weapon sticking out of the ground and recognized it immediately. He knew who was the wielder.

"Oh, balls," he said, feeling it was the appropriate word for what was about to happen.

Emerging from underground, in front of their home, was Alexandrite with her upper body covered in green, crystal armor. She came from the underground pathways Carabosse instructed her to use and surprise attacked Team VRSZ's base. This was done not only to sucker punch the team, but to also destroy the place they called home, giving them no place to return to. Alexandrite was here to destroy it all as well as hoping to kill a freelancer or two while she did it and she might get her wish because she found Silver on the ground when looking for her lance.

Alexandrite's eyes flashed from green to brilliant red when she saw him then said, "Finally, I get to kill a freelancer."

"Maybe we can talk this over?" Silver asked, but reflexively fired at her. He has encountered Alexandrite enough times to know she won't be swayed by words in battle.

He fired several rounds, but they didn't do anything against her semblance, something Silver already guessed. Alexandrite rushed toward him and Silver quickly got up and jumped high in the air before she reached him. He quickly pulled out bullets and replaced his normal bullets while floating in midair, not currently realizing he was successfully levitating. The ravager wasn't going to stand idly by and let the freelancer do whatever he wanted. Activating her semblance by creating a red crystal foothold beneath her feet. She continued to add more to it so it would rise into a pillar that raised Alexandrite toward Silver who was now ready to fight. Before she could reach and impale him through the stomach, Silver quickly tucked and rolled his body out the way while in midair then fired a powerful round of fire dust at the ravager, causing a large fiery explosion. He used Gravity to quickly land on the ground then ran into the semi-destroyed base. When the smoke cleared, Alexandrite stood on her foothold with her lance acting as a shield, but it did little to protect her. The crystal armor took most of the impact, with cracks in the armor around the chest and shoulder, but the Ravager was unfazed.

She jumped down from her crystal perch, which crumbled apart and disintegrated once she jumps off, then ran toward the base as well. She entered their home with no Silver in sight. Up above, standing upside down on the ceiling was Silver with the large samurai sword of the blind swordsman Violet and the others fought. He deactivated Gravity to fall upon Alexandrite without her knowing and lifted the blade over his head then increased gravity's effect on it to increase its mass and swing. Alexandrite felt the blow hit her shoulder with tremendous force. It was enough to break through her crystal armor and hit her aura. Alexandrite tuck and rolled out of the way to see Silver with the large, red blade in one hand and one of Fenrir in the other.

"Time for you to get the hell out of my house," the silver-tongued gunslinger told the female warrior.

 **Setting: Onyx's Workshop**

Violet was on her way to check on Fantasia when she heard the same explosion that everyone else in Fortuna heard. She wasn't confused like the others and knew very well that someone was deliberately attacking the city, but didn't know the culprits. She noticed the explosion at Concordia and immediately worried for Clair's safety. Violet was beginning to walk to her friend until she heard the screams of the people. She looked to see the citizens running from the escaped prisoners that looted, attacked, and terrorized them. Violet wasn't a huntress or on the job as a freelancer, but she wasn't going to let this slide.

One prisoner was ready to beat a woman then take her belongings until Violet threw a Cheshire Enigma at him, stabbing him in the leg and rendering him unable to walk or put pressure on that leg. The man fell to the ground, reduced to crawling to traverse the city, but Violet didn't allow him to traverse any further. She walked up to him and stomped down on his head, slamming him into the sand harshly and rendering unconscious. She pulled the knife out of his leg then looked at the woman she saved. The woman the man was attacking didn't stop to thank Violet, she just ran away to save her life, something Violet expected as she looked at the spreading chaos. She didn't know what was going on, but the prisoners were running rampant in the city. If this continued, then it wouldn't be long till the creatures of Grimm enter Fortuna.

 _"_ _The Grimm will obviously come, no doubt about it, but the least I could do is stop these prisoners from running around and spreading more chaos. Less panic, less Grimm will come here,"_ Violet deduced in her mind as she ran off to fight the escaped prisoners to prevent greater destruction and she wasn't the only one.

 **Setting: Concordia**

Zelts was in Concordia, on his way to train Team CLSH, but that ended when he heard the explosion. He did not question who did it or why this was happening, he just ran toward the center of the city, ready to defend his home. Zelts rushed toward Concordia which quickly became a battlefield and he wasn't alone. The members of Team CLSH were by his side. Hazel sent her drones around to help citizens and fire lasers at prisoners, Loden gave her team support using her Panorama to see everything around them as they traversed through the city in order to tell them where the enemy was located and counter any surprise attacks, Sapphire was in the air, swinging from building to building with Cerise hanging from her back, dropping her cherry bombs from above. This five-person squad ran to Vantablack, the center of Fortuna and scattered. Cerise, Sapphire, and Hazel left to save the citizens and Loden went to find out the source of the prison escape. Zelts joined Loden to keep her safe. He also wanted to see what the cause of the destruction.

 **Setting: Airship**

In the control room of the airship that Platinum jumped off of, Carabosse, Ebony, and Grayson were watching everything unfold through the various monitors displayed in front of them. Grayson sneered at the sight while Carabosse was sitting in the pilot's seat, drinking a cup of tea. Ebony watched as well, but kept to herself. The manipulators of the attack watched from the safety of the sky while their targets battled on the ground.

"This is the best assignment yet. I'd almost do this for free…almost," Grayson told Carabosse.

"…" Carabosse didn't respond to him and continued to drink her tea and Ebony left the room to parts unknown.

"Your plan is impressive. So far, my team is acting accordingly and the way everyone is responding has them divided. I don't see anything going wrong on our side," Grayson continued to speak, but Carabosse spoke this time.

"For someone who has been in this line of work for so long, you seem to think like a huntsman in training," she said and it caught Grayson by surprise and anger for referring to him as a novice.

"All the greatest minds and strategists in Remnant understand one rule; No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. My plans are no exception, behold." Carabosse pointed to the monitor viewing the dock.

On the dock was one of the few people in Fortuna who can reach the airship on their own, Blood. Clair's enforcer found the airship and flew into the enemy's base on his magnificent wings. He had no weapons, but that never stopped one Fortuna's most formidable fighters from battling. Grayson has met the bat faunus before when he accompanied the freelancers on missions, knowing he was a strong opponent, and wondered how Carabosse was going to deal with him. His question was easily answered in the form of Ebony walking outside to the dock where she brandished her mechanical sword.

"What are you standing around for? Assist my niece. You and your subordinates are working for me, so do your job, mercenary," Carabosse ordered coldly.

"…Understood," Grayson replied before leaving the room. Neither of them were fool enough to fully trust the other, but they needed to work together in order for their desires to be fulfilled.

On the airship, Blood was flying around Ebony to strike her with Paralysis, but the female Vantablack was block his punches and kicks with the flat end of blade. She swung a few times to keep him at bay while also being mindful not to leave even the slightest opening for him to touch her. She was grateful for studying the file on him as well as the others or this fight might've been decided a lot faster. She blocked him well until Blood dodged one swing and swiftly got behind Ebony. He was about to land several jabs against her back, but the hilt of Ebony's sword extended toward Blood, forcing him to move out of the way. He got a good look at Ebony's weapon which changed from a sword to a lance in an instant.

Ebony was in a fighting stance, but she didn't make a move on Blood. Instead, Grayson came in from behind and struck Blood in the back. He quickly kicked the faunus away then threw one of his fire dust bombs at him and it exploded. Blood may have been hit the first two times, but he blocked the explosion with his large bat wings then flew to the edge of the airship. Ebony and Grayson stood together to face Blood as a united force while Carabosse watched from her seat. Grayson was the first to make a move, running toward Blood before throwing his grapple sword at him. Blood easily dodged it, but Grayson retracted the cable connected between his sword and his arm to quickly propel himself toward Blood. On Blood's arm was the feather arm guard that was once owned by Tawny and he fired several feather blades at Blood. The enforcer flew up in the air to dodge the incoming blades and when Grayson was below him, he slammed his foot down on the ravager's side, and made him ruin his course to his sword. His body slammed into the sword, but he tumbled on the airship and almost fell off if he didn't grab the ledge in time. Blood was going to knock him off so Grayson could fall to his death, but Ebony intervened by landing in front of him and trying to stab him with her lance. Blood backed away and Ebony was ready to battle.

Carabosse and her cohorts delivered a preemptive strike against Fortuna and its protectors respond to defend their home. The battles were beginning all around the city and the sun was setting on this fateful day.

"Hey! Hey! Help me up! Don't leave me like this! I'm being left on a literal cliffhanger!" Grayson shouted, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

* * *

 **I was actually surprised when RWBY Volume 5 introduced a faunus with bat wings just like Ash Blood. Great minds think alike I guess. After seeing Yuma's design, I was surprised his wings are smaller than Blood's. Both are capable of flight, but Blood's wings are large enough to wrap around his body and look like a robe. Yuma still looks like a badass.**

 **I managed to find a song to fit the scenario of the destruction of Fortuna and the Ravagers' invasion in this and future chapters. Cities in Dust by Everlove fits the feeling of unraveling that is about to occur.**

 **It was never explained, but Shiranui joined the Ravagers because he owes Grayson his life. The fox faunus was a travelling nomad who simply enjoyed reading historical books and scholarly work. In a settlement in Vacuo, he was being attacked and abused by two local huntsmen who had little understanding for faunus. The assault ceased when Grayson intervened and killed them as part of his mission at the time. Shiranui expressed his gratitude to Grayson by offering his services. Grayson took him up on his offer, making Shiranui the Ravagers' strategist and first secondary ally to become part of the team.**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42: VRSZ Ravagers Part Two**

 **Setting: Airship**

Carabosse watched the battle between Ebony and Blood with a calm expression, but was assessing the battle in her mind. Blood was an experienced fighter and his semblance was powerful as well. Her niece could hold her own against an opponent like him, but it would take time for her to defeat him, especially if she is refusing to use her Charm. If she wanted, Ebony could persuade Blood to leave or to fall onto her blade, but she had some form of chivalry that prevented her from doing so. It vexed Carabosse, but it was her niece's style to play with men who catch her eye.

 _"This is going to take too long. We don't need to beat him, but he needs to be out of our hair,"_ Carabosse thought. The malevolent Vantablack rose from her seat and made her way to the dock.

Blood was punching and kicking Ebony's lance, trying to reach her body, but she was matching him blow for blow, showing that she was an extremely capable fighter. He also noticed that during their stalemate, Ebony was battling with a smile on her face, making Blood wonder was she mocking him or enjoying the battle. Ebony was smiling because she was fighting such a handsome foe. He didn't care enough to find an answer as he flew high into the sky. He planned to dive down to attack and when she moved to defend, Blood was going to feint to her side and hit her with Paralysis. One hit with his semblance was all he needed, but before he could put his plan into motion, he suddenly felt sleeping.

The enforcer's body was slowing down as he felt sleepy and he was descending slowly. Ebony knew what was happening so she turned around to see her aunt walk up to her. Blood finally succumbed to sleep and fell from the sky, crashing right onto the edge of the airship then plummeted to Fortuna from too high in the sky. His absence meant Carabosse's faction was safe though Ebony wanted to engage Blood a little more, but she had to follow her aunt's plan unless she wanted to get another earful.

"Stop playing around Ebony. You could've ended this sooner if you just used your semblance. We have to get ready for the next stage," Carabosse scolded her niece.

"…Fine. I just wanted to play with him a little while longer. He was so handsome and very strong. Are you sure we can't use someone like him?" Ebony asked, but her aunt simply walked back to the airship's control room.

Ebony sighed and followed after her while leaving Grayson to get back up from the ledge of the airship by himself. He looked around to see the battle over and no one around, seeing how little or lowly Carabosse thought of him. He sucked it up for now and sat down on the ledge, watching the terror unfold.

Blood was still asleep as he fell from the sky with his body moving like a dropped rag doll. When Carabosse used Somnus on him, she did it with the thought of getting him out of her hair at the moment, not to have him sleep for a long period of time. Blood eventually woke up and was shocked to see he was falling. It took him a quick second to compose himself before he began flapping his wings to soar through the air. Instead of returning to the airship, Blood thought it was best to help the city. He also thought if the enemy could do something like that to him in an instant, then there's no way he could fight them alone. Blood flew off to join his allies.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Silver and Alexandrite were still duking it out, but the battle was completely in Alexandrite's favor. Silver was able to deal a powerful blow with his sneak attack, but that was the only time she let her guard down. They clashed with sword to lance, Silver using Gravity to increase his mass to keep him in place against Alexandrite's superior strength and semblance that she used to cover most of her body in crystal. She was the offensive and defensive powerhouse of the Ravagers and Silver was witnessing it first-hand as she destroyed their house. Silver was effectively using Gravity to stay in this fight. He increased the mass of the sword to deliver strong blows, even though they only made small cracks through her armor, and made himself light and nimble to dodge her lance when she attacked, but doing so meant her lance would land on things in the base.

This battle has already destroyed the front yard of the base, now it did the same to the inside. The living room was torn apart with the sofa pierced through as well as cut in half and the television screen was punched in. The table and television stand were reduced to pieces and the kitchen has become the next battlefield. Alexandrite swung her lance at Silver, who blocked the attack with the sword, but this time it was different. She used her semblance to cover her weapon in crystal to increase its sharpness of both the spearhead and the blades on its sides. When she swung her weapon at Silver who blocked it with the blade, but the lance's blade was hard enough to break through the large sword. The force of the swing was enough to knock Silver into the kitchen where he crashed into the fridge and his aura finally broke. The impact badly bruised his left arm, but he was more upset that his state-of-the-art fridge was damaged. He got over both rather quickly since his life was on the line.

Activating Gravity, Silver jumped high over Alexandrite to make it to the second floor, but she was fast enough to grab his ankle. He was still under the effect of Gravity, so Silver's body was still light when Alexandrite violently tossed him to his destination. He almost crashed into the wall, but Silver used Gravity to safely land on the second-floor wall on all fours, though his left arm hurt from the slight pressure. Silver was going for his guns, but when he felt nothing in his holsters, he looked down to see Fenrir on the floor near the kitchen. He cursed himself for his dumb luck, but didn't have time to think about because Alexandrite hurled her lance at him and he dodged the polearm in time then ran to his room. The female warrior walked up the stairs and pulled her weapon out of the wall. She looked down the hall to see closed doors, each one leading to the team's bedrooms.

Silver was in his room and rushed to his bookcase. He grabbed the steel case he kept on the shelf then hid behind his bed in case Alexandrite entered. While he was undoing the lock, Silver could hear Alexandrite bursting through the bedroom door of Remus and breaking everything inside.

 _"_ _If she breaks all his games, Remus is going to be pissed,"_ Silver thought as he opened the case.

The contents of the case were the two original guns he had with him since the beginning, Ceasefire. He pulled out all the dust ammo he had on his person and loaded his guns as quickly as possible, all while hearing Alexandrite break into Zelts' room and gave it the same treatment as Remus'.

 _"_ _Hmm, Zelts is more Zen, than one might think. This probably won't bother him much,"_ Silver thought as he stayed behind his bed, waiting for the bedazzled behemoth to enter his room, but she never came. Instead, he heard her burst into Violet's room.

 _"_ _Bad idea,"_ Silver thought while shaking his head in disapproval.

He listened to Alexandrite break things in there and it upset Silver more than it did the other two. He knew if Alexandrite did anything to Violet's room, then he would be blamed for it. Silver was ready to spring into action and had Ceasefire aimed at the door with his bed acting as his shield. He didn't hear any footstep in the hallway or the sound of furniture breaking in Violet's room. Silver wondered where the hell was Alexandrite. The ravager didn't enter through the door, but burst through the ceiling of the base, landing in his room and behind Silver.

Silver was surprised by this course of action, but he didn't hesitate to run up to Alexandrite with Ceasefire changed into escrima sticks and jump up the moment she landed. He slammed them down on her crystal-armored head, but used Gravity on his arms and weapons to make them extremely dense, making them even harder than Alexandrite's crystals. This move didn't come without price. Altering his own gravity to such a degree was putting a massive strain on his arms, making them feel like they were being crushed and his left arm was in tremendous pain. He slammed them on both sides of her head, breaking through the thick crystal hide and discombobulated her greatly while making the strain worse on his arm. Alexandrite staggered greatly while Silver relieved his arms of his semblance then changed Ceasefire back into guns.

Alexandrite was bombarded by dust rounds of electricity, ice, stone, and fire, slowly chipping away at her crystal armor and aura, but she quickly used her semblance to create more crystal armor to replace what Silver shot off. The blasts of fire scorched his room, the ice froze everything near her, and the lightning dust ripped through and broke everything in her vicinity. He finally ceased his action and ran out of the room in order to get to Fenrir.

"If you thought I'm the type of guy who wouldn't hit a girl!?" he shouted mockingly from the hallway. "You obviously don't know who you're dealing with!"

Alexandrite was down on one knee with her crystal armor covering her entire body. The areas Silver chipped away were replaced with newer crystals that were a different color. Throughout the ordeal, Alexandrite's eyes were rapidly changing colors as well did the crystals she reproduced, turning her armor into a multi-colored thing of beauty. Red, blue, green, purple, pink, and yellow were the colors that decorated her body, but didn't last long because Alexandrite made it crumble away in order to move again. She was pissed off that Silver was lasting this long against her when he wasn't even a real threat. This was a stain on her pride, a stain she intended to wash away.

Silver was able to gather Fenrir and run out of the house without any incident. When he was out in the street, he took the time to catch his breath, despite the people running around in the chaos. It took him a minute to get his second wind, but he wondered about one thing during that time.

 _"_ _Where's Alexan-"_ Silver's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of destruction coming from the base.

He turned around to see the base begin to shake then crumble to the ground. The home of Team VRSZ was destroyed. It was reduced to the ground yet again and Silver was really tired of that happening. He also realized that Violet was going to kill him for letting Alexandrite do it. Speaking of Alexandrite, she stood among the rubble in red crystal armor covering her body, protecting her from the falling debris, and her eyes dead set on Silver. With her objective of destroying the base of the freelancers, she was free to lay waste to Fortuna and she was going to start with breaking Silver into tiny pieces. Silver ran away from her and she gave chase to him. He stayed out of her reach by using Gravity to Silver knew he currently didn't have the firepower needed to stop her or her near-invincible semblance and he was heading to the place where he could find it: Onyx's workshop. Alexandrite abandoned her crystal armor to her weight and run fast enough to keep track of her target.

 **Setting: Concordia**

Shiranui was still in conflict with Bianca, but he was in a losing battle. He tossed his lantern whip at Bianca's location and she reacted by jumping in the air. When the lantern hit the floor, the blue fire inside spread and engulfed the floor in flames. Bianca landed on the ledge of the building and fired several shots at Shiranui, but the faunus reacted by transforming into smoke and reformed on the opposite ledge of the building. This battle was at a stalemate and Shiranui needed to escape.

 _"_ _She's too good. I won't be able to beat her. That's fine, she's not one of the targets, but how am I going to get out of here? Huh?"_ Shiranui wondered then noticed the white sparkles floating around the area. _"Uh-oh,"_ he thought as he looked at the sparkles originate from Bianca's hair.

Bianca snapped her fingers with ice dust emanating from her glove. The Stardust particles spun around, creating a cold atmosphere before making a small snowstorm on the roof. Shiranui covered his face with his arms as he was bombarded by shards of ice and blinded by the freezing wind. He couldn't see what was happening around so he did the best thing he could do to preserve his safety. Shiranui activated Wisp, turned to smoke and flew out of the blizzard and off the building before Bianca could fire upon him.

 _"_ _She's not the priority. I need to find the two on Carabosse's list,"_ Shiranui thought as he fled.

Bianca looked around to see where the faunus would pop up next but there was no sign of him, leaving her to guess he fled the battle. With the fight over and done, Bianca decided her next move should be to protect Clair. She walked to the ledge of the roof then looked down to check to current condition of the district. So far, Vantablack, the capital, was in a state of panic with some criminals running around, but Clair's task force was finally deployed and were in combat with the prisoners. Concordia was relatively still in their control, but that could not be said about the districts near the prison. The Atlesian battlesuit was firing missiles, bullets, and energy blasts in every direction, destroying buildings and hurting so many people far and wide. That area was the most dangerous and Bianca wanted it to end, but she knew her priority was reaching Clair and finding out what her monarchs wants to do next.

Before jumping off the building, Bianca actually saw Silver jump in the air in her field of vision. She watched him land on the ground and run at full speed through the sandy streets then noticed that Alexandrite was chasing after him.

"…He'll be fine," she concluded before going to see Clair.

 **Setting: Liberia**

Liberia was the district of Fortuna that's known for being the hot spot for all the rogues and thugs, but everything changed when Platinum attacked. The district and all others around it were deserted of people because of Platinum's rampage. She fired everything in her arsenal relentlessly and indiscriminately, blowing up buildings and injuring citizens in far away areas. She was proving herself to be the most powerful opposition in Carabosse's plan. Members of Clair's task force put up arms against her, but when they fired their guns or attacked with physical weapons, they all bounced off the battlesuit's force shield. Platinum noticed them and shot all of them down till they were dead. In a place of pure chaos and destruction, Platinum was in her element, but she wasn't fighting unopposed.

In a burst of blue smoke, Remus teleported in the air above the battlesuit. He dove to it with Romulus as dual swords and slashed down on the weapon of mass destruction, though he was only successful at cutting the shield around it. The force field opened from the powerful slash only for a brief moment before sealing the gash. Platinum turned the gun torrents on the battlesuit's shoulders till they were aimed at Remus. They fired and Remus reacted by jumping out of the line of fire. While in the air, she fired several missiles at him and he evaded by using Checkpoint. He teleported on top of a building, but the missiles followed him. Remus jumped off the building, landed on top of one missile then leaped of that one till he reached the other one. The first one destroyed the building he was on while he placed his hand on the second missile then used Checkpoint to teleport himself and the missile in front of the battlesuit. Remus had the missile positioned to fly right toward Platinum's machine and it hit its mark.

The battlesuit was engulfed in an explosion and Remus believed he was able to damage it, but he was corrected when another missile was fired at him. Before using Checkpoint to get out of the way, a wave of earth ripped out of the ground beside him and collided with the missile, creating an explosion of fire and stone. Remus knew who did this and turned to see that Loden and Zelts entered the fray. With Zelts sending a wave of compressed wind and Loden using her World Splitter to send a jagged wave of rocks, the duo unleashed to powerful forces of nature directed at the battlesuit and their combined attacks was strong enough to break through and disable the shields. Remus moved in to attack with the energy within Romulus flowing through it and aimed for the cockpit. He was able to pierce through it, but not deep enough to reach Platinum. She opened the cockpit, lifting the face of the battlesuit and alerting Remus to teleport away. He landed next to Loden and Zelts when Platinum revealed her face.

"Hello my friends!" she shouted down from her seat then flashed a big, friendly smile.

"Platinum," Loden grumbled.

"I'm not your friend," Remus told the mad genius.

"Why are you here? What's the point of all this?" Zelts asked the mad genius.

"Sorry, that's between employer and employee. If you beat me, then I might tell you," Platinum taunted before closing the cockpit.

Remus and Loden were two people who have gone up against this ravager and were humbled by her. Remus was blasted in the face with her cannon and Loden was beaten by her in their two encounters. The fire of their fighting spirit was burning ferociously when they saw her face again.

"This is a rematch I've been waiting for," Loden stated.

"Same," Remus told her as he prepared for round two.

Zelts brought his shield up and Platinum remembered his weapon was one of the things Carabosse wanted them to take. She planned on prying Zelts' Heart of Gold from his soon to be charred corpse.

* * *

 **Silver's Gravity is a very useful semblance that allows him to control his own gravity. He is able to make his body extremely light, heavy, walk any surface from any angle, and allows him to levitate. He can also alter the gravity of anything or anyone he touches which allows him to lift heavy objects by making them light or make small things very heavy and throw them like projectiles. There has never been any sign of weakness or drawback in his semblance until now, but Silver has learned he shouldn't make his body too heavy. It puts great pressure on his body as if he was deep underwater and he doesn't want to see what happens if he does it for too long.**


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N: Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all readers!**

* * *

 **Chapter 43: VRSZ Ravagers Part Three**

 **Setting: Concordia**

Bianca was on the first floor of Concordia, where she found Blood beating down any prisoners that dared to enter the building. He punched one guy in the face, breaking his nose, then kicked another in the leg, snapping it in two. He showed no remorse for those who tried to attack the Lady of Fortuna. When he finished the last one by smacking him down with his wing, Bianca approached him and noticed the bodies of those defeated by Blood littered on the floor. She was glad he was on their side.

"Where's Lady Clair?" she asked her colleague.

"In her office. Sterling came earlier and is with her now. She should be coming down soon to tell us about her plan," Blood answered.

Bianca had another question to ask: she wanted to know where Ghost was in all this, but she didn't have time to ask because she saw Clair and Sterling enter the main floor through the stairs. She seemed unharmed and her expression was calm despite the status of her city.

"Lady Clair, are you alright?" Bianca asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. Seems like whoever attacked Concordia only did it to make people evacuate."

"I believe I may have encountered the ones responsible for this," Blood interjected, gaining everyone's attention.

"A large airship was above the city and Grayson was on board along with a young woman I've never seen before."

"Grayson is here?" Clair said to herself, wondering what he could be after. "Did he learn about Team VRSZ's base?"

"Can you describe the young girl, Master Blood?" Sterling asked.

"Young and strong. She wielded a mechanical weapon that could shift between sword and a lance. She had black hair and silver eyes."

Clair and Sterling were alerted when Blood brought up the hair and the eyes. They both came to the same conclusion: Ebony Vantablack.

"I see. So this is her doing," Sterling said in seething anger as he referred to Carabosse. "I should've known my sister wouldn't leave us alone. She won't stop until Fortuna is lost."

"…Fortuna is lost, uncle," Clair said and it surprised everyone.

"Lady Clair?" Bianca said, unsure of what was going through her monarch's head. Defeat was something that was never associated with Clair de Lune Vantablack, so this came to a shock to everyone.

"The destruction done towards Fortuna is too extensive, not to mention the escaped prisoners running around and making things worse. This was clearly part of Carabosse's plan and it's working perfectly. Fighting against her forces will only damage more of the city, not to mention all the citizens who will no doubt be caught in the crossfire, and the increase panic will also bring more Grimm to the city. Safeguarding Fortuna isn't my job, it's the people who live here we have to protect." Bianca and Blood finally understood what Clair was trying to say.

"I already mobilized my task force to neutralize the threats while escorting any nearby citizens. Ghost is doing search and rescue, finding people in the more dangerous areas and bringing them to my airship. It's not large enough to get everyone at once, but C.P. is taking as many people as he can back and forth to nearby settlements," Clair informed them.

"What do you want us to do?" Blood asked Clair.

"I want you two to find and guide citizens to the airship at Fortuna's eastern border, where the battle and chaos hasn't reached. Your cue to leave is when you see any Grimm or when I contact you, understood?" Clair told them.

"What about the Ravagers?" Bianca asked with great concern.

"I'm sure Team VRSZ will fight and defeat their rivals. Lend a helping hand if the opportunity shows itself, but saving the citizens is your top priority. I'll remain here in Concordia, guiding any stragglers you find to the airship," Clair answered.

"And I'll be with her to make sure she's protected," Sterling said to reassure Clair's Enforcers.

"…Okay, just be sure you make it out of here okay Clair," Bianca said before leaving with Blood.

Clair walked out of the building with her uncle as the landscape outside was mostly vacant and she noticed the sky was darkening. The sun was down, signaling the coming of night. The situation was bad enough, but the night sky was making the whole thing unsettling.

 **Setting: Onyx's Workshop**

Violet was near Onyx's Workshop where she battled any prisoners that dared to enter her friend's shop, but battle may have been too generous a word. This was a one-sided beat down where Violet showed no mercy to anyone wearing an orange jumpsuit. She broke limbs, caused contusions, gashes, bone bruises, internal bleeding, and permanent spine damage. She wasn't letting any of these ruffians get near her young friend. After stomping on a man's fingers, she kicked him hard in the face, causing him to start bleeding from his mouth and nose before passing out. Violet was about to put her kukris away now that all threats were eliminated, but brought them up when she saw someone running straight for the shop and she was ready to fight him off, however she lowered her guard when noticed it was just Silver.

He stopped running when he reached Violet then fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath. She had no idea why he was in this condition, but she got her answer when she saw Alexandrite running straight toward them. The ravager removed her crystal armor for mobility and speed in order to keep track of her target. She could see from the condition he was in that Silver has been through quite the ordeal.

"Get in the shop and get Onyx out of here. I'll take your place and take her down," Violet said before pulling out a large number of fire dust throwing knives.

Initiating Flower Garden, she used her semblance to make them invisible then threw them all in Alexandrite's path. The bedazzled behemoth charged straight for Silver once she saw him, but when her foot landed on an invisible Enigma, it exploded beneath her. Alexandrite was hurt by the explosion which knocked her to the ground where she landed on several other explosive Enigmas and consumed her in a small explosion. Violet looked on with keen eyes, checking for any sign of her enemy. She noticed a faint blue-green light within the smoke, it was Alexandrite's aura finally breaking. The ravager coated herself in crystals once again to protect her now vulnerable body and went straight for Violet who pulled out seven ice Enigmas and threw them at her. Alexandrite was able to knock four of them out of the air with her lance, but the other three got through and hit her crystal armor, covering it with ice on the spot. Violet then quickly threw two knives with lightning dust directly on the spot where the ice was and when the Enigmas made contact, their combined lightning surged out violently on the ravager's chest, shocking Alexandrite and breaking apart the armor on her chest and arms.

Violet was all too aware of her opponent's strength. She was on par with, if not stronger than Zelts. She easily bested Violet in terms of strength, but that was the only category she surpassed the freelancer. This wasn't like her usual confrontations with Zelts. Alexandrite was up against someone who was faster, smarter, more creative, and more disciplined adversary. As if to prove this statement, Violet threw three ice Enigmas at the sand in front of Alexandrite when she started running at full speed again and the female warrior slipped and fell on the frozen foothold. Violet couldn't allow her a chance of recovery so she brought out her kukris, activated the ice dust in both of them, brought both knives together for the ice dust to combine then shaped it into a frozen club, jumped above Alexandrite while she was still on the ground, then brought the large chunk of ice down on top of her, smashing through a good amount of her armor.

When Silver entered the workshop, he found Onyx at the front desk, watching Violet fight off all intruders. The young faunus was too scared to leave his safe place with all the criminals running around, the sounds of explosions, and buildings crumbling. The gunman could understand why the youngest Vantablack was afraid to leave and he planned to get him out.

"Onyx, is the Fantasia repaired?" he asked.

"It's not fully functioning. It probably won't get very far," Onyx answered with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Then come on! We're getting out of here," Silver told him.

"What about Violet?"

"I'm more worried about Alexandrite. You do realize Violet's name is one letter away from spelling violent," Silver joked before going to Onyx's garage.

Outside, Alexandrite was swing her lance, trying to land a blow on Violet, but the freelancer was nimbly evading all her attacks. Violet jumped away, flipped, cartwheeled, and rolled out of the reach of Alexandrite's massive lance. Before either of them could make another move, the Fantasia busted out of the workshop's garage area while the door was still shut. Silver was in the driver's seat and Onyx was sitting in the back. The hood of the car was busted and the engine didn't sound normal, but it didn't stop Silver from driving the car directly into Alexandrite. She used her semblance to create and cover herself in as much crystal possible before Silver ran over her. Her lower half was beneath the Fantasia, but she didn't plan on stopping here. With one hand, she lifted the front of the car upward then used her second hand to lift it high enough for her to get on her feet. She was able to cover her upper body and legs in blue crystal, but it was crumbling away and she herself was finally feeling exhausted. She fell to one knee while holding the car up then took one arm off the vehicle to grab her lance. She was going to cut through the Fantasia. Silver put the car in reverse and Violet dashed right for the ravager to stop her. Alexandrite swung her lance overhead and Silver stomped his foot on the gas pedal, going in reverse, but the blade on the side of the lance ripped through the hood and engine of Fantasia. The car drove backwards a little, but it stopped after a while. It no longer responded to Silver putting his foot on the gas pedal.

The Fantasia was permanently out of commission.

Violet couldn't stop her from cutting through the car, but she didn't let her momentum cease as she ran to Alexandrite with a kukri cloaked in ice like a saber and try to cut through her crystal armor. She slashed through the armor though it wasn't enough to reach Alexandrite's body and the ice covering her knife shattered instead. Alexandrite's eyes changed from blue to dark red and used her semblance to cover herself head to toe in red crystal till she looked like a knight. The ravager has had it with the two freelancers eluding death. She was ready to kill someone. Alexandrite lifted her lance to cleave Violet in half and the freelancer simply got out of the way. She didn't dodge because of the attack, but because of Silver firing all six missiles out of Fantasia's salvos directly at Alexandrite's crystal coated back. The first three broke through the red armor and the next two shattered the remaining blue crystal beneath it, greatly injuring the ravager and knocking her down into the ground. The sixth missile didn't hit her, instead it was heading toward Onyx's workshop and blew it up.

Silver sat in the car feeling incredibly guilty about blowing up the mechanic's workshop and Onyx punched Silver in his bruised arm for doing it.

"Hey! All my stuff was in there," the young faunus whined as Silver shouted in pain.

"It's over," Violet declared as she approached the wrecked Fantasia.

"Same with the car. I think this might be the end of our sweet ride. First the base and now this," Silver said feeling a little upset about the circumstances.

"The base too? Great. Let's get out of here," Violet told Silver.

"…You sure you want to leave _that_ unfinished?" he said, referring to a defeated and injured Alexandrite that was lying on the ground.

"She doesn't matter anymore. Getting Onyx out of here is more important. Same with you, Silver. You can't fight with that arm anymore so I don't want to hear any complaints," Violet told them. Violet and Silver escorted the young faunus to Clair to keep him safe.

Alexandrite was groaning in pain. She could do nothing except look up at the night sky fill with smoke from the burning buildings and wait for someone to collect her. Her part in this invasion was over. The airship that Carabosse was using lowered down really close to some small buildings then landed on top of them, crushing them to rubble. It was docked close by to where Alexandrite was defeated, so she may be getting picked up earlier than she expected. Grayson exited the vessel and went to where she was.

"Grayson… you're here," Alexandrite said relieved, but Grayson didn't say anything.

Little did she know, he was silently watching her, judging whether he should attempt to rescue her or leave her to perish. After some thought, Grayson decided keeping Alexandrite around was better for him in the long run than ditching her. He knelt down to pick her up then put her arm around his shoulder. He dragged his defeated comrade back to the ship so she could recover and Alexandrite was grateful for his helped.

"Just give me a minute to recover and I'll be fine. I'm not done fighting."

"You're done. I need you inside the airship and alive, not dead on the battlefield. Remember what I told you, this isn't over. Fortuna is going to be ours."

 **Setting: Moneta**

Shiranui was searching the city for the targets, but his efforts were coming up short. He traveled using his semblance until he found civilians being attacked by escaped prisoners. He didn't have any concerns for them and was about to leave the area until he heard the sound of lightning and explosions. He turned back to the site to see the prisoners defeated and several people standing victorious. Protecting the people were Ghost, Cerise, Sapphire, and Hazel, two of which were on Carabosse's list. Shiranui watched as Ghost pointed the people in the direction of where to escape then be hugged by Sapphire. The fox faunus had no idea if he should consider himself lucky or unlucky because his targets were right in front of him, but he didn't think he could take them out all on his own. He thought it was best to avoid them until they divide their numbers, but he also thought this was probably the only chance he had of capturing them. He remembered the information he received on the targets and believed he could exploit their weaknesses to win. Shiranui grabbed a lightning dust crystal from his pocket and put it in the blue flame inside his lantern, causing the lantern and whip to surge with electricity.

Down near the Moneta, Ghost pointed to the citizens which direction to go and they left.

"Cerise can you go with them to make sure they get to the eastern border safely. Your semblance is perfect for keeping them safe," Ghost requested.

"Okay," Cerise said then opened her waist bag full of Runaways. She picked out a few then gave them to Hazel. "Use these if you're in a bind."

"O-okay," Hazel said as she accepted her leader's cherry bombs.

Cerise left with the citizens while Ghost, Hazel, and Sapphire searched for more. The enforcer went inside the Moneta which was now in shambles. The place that once served as the hub for huntsmen and mercenaries alike was left in a such a deplorable state after being destroyed and ransacked. Ghost looked around for anyone but didn't see a soul until he heard someone shouting in the back

"Help! Someone help!" he heard some shout in the room that once served as Sterling's office.

Ghost didn't hesitate to run to the door and phase through it to find the person in need of his aid. He scanned the damaged room with no sign of the citizen in need. He wondered what was going on until he was blinded by something fluffy. Shiranui was perched on a fallen support beam that was laying above the door when Ghost entered. He wrapped his tail around Ghost's head then tossed him into the wall. The enforcer wasn't expecting to be attacked so he didn't activate Spectre at the time. Ghost was getting on his feet when Shiranui cracked his lantern whip at the wall above him. Ordinarily, blue flames would spew out when the lantern hit any surface, but with lightning crackled out instead along with a booming thunderclap that broke the wall. The broken wall debris fell on top of Ghost, leaving him under a pile of rubble. Ghost used Spectre to phase through the stones above him and was ready to fight.

Fighting was not Ghost's priority. Clair has requested he save civilians than look for unnecessary battles, though he wasn't sure Shiranui was willing to let him just leave. Shiranui learned from Ghost's file that he was a capable fighter, not to mention his semblance made him almost untouchable, but the file also taught him the weakness of Spectre and he prepared to face him in advance. The fox faunus cracked his lantern whip again only for Ghost to take a large sidestep out of the way of the lightning and thunderclap then run straight for his opponent. He planned on phasing into the enemy's body and using Spectre to possess his body, but Ghost wasn't able to possess Shiranui. Instead, he was knocked back and was in pain. Ghost had no idea why he was hurt until he got a good look at his enemy. Shiranui's white Gi jacket was bursting with lightning and electricity was the only known thing Ghost couldn't phase through. Shiranui laced his clothing with lightning dust to prevent Ghost from taking over his body or getting too close. Now he had to outsmart him in order to bring him down.

Using the ice dust in Purgatory, Ghost slammed the palm of his gauntlet on the ground to freeze the floor. Shiranui jumped and planned to get back on the fallen support beam, except Ghost anticipated this and quickly shifted to fire dust. The enforcer leaped in the air toward his foe and hurled a large fire ball at him. Shiranui was hit by the blast which was strong enough to knock him into the wall and break through into the mission room. Shiranui's aura was able to take the hit, but he still felt some of the pain and he remembered that he really wasn't suited for battle. Ghost phased through the door to enter the room. He saw Shiranui on the ground unconscious and wondered what to do next.

 _"…_ _I can't just leave him here,"_ Ghost thought to himself, feeling like leaving him was like this wasn't his style.

He reached out to pick up Shiranui, but the fox was playing possum as he reached out and took hold of him in a tight grip. The lightning dust in his Gi surged and it was growing larger, filling the entire room while wreaking everything that was already destroyed. With Shiranui bear hugging him and while being electrocuted, Ghost couldn't use Spectre to escape. He was helpless as he screamed from being violently shocked. It was an underhanded tactic, but Shiranui turned the tables and had Ghost at his mercy.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" Ghost screamed in tremendous pain.

Shiranui didn't let up. He continued to let the lightning electrocute Ghost until he could no longer twitch. Out of nowhere, cables entered the building and wrapped themselves around Shiranui's tail. He had no idea what has happening then the cables pulled him aggressively and yanked him away from Ghost and out the Moneta. Sapphire pulled him off Ghost and ferociously slammed him to the ground. She was enraged that he was hurting her boyfriend so she dragged him across the sand then tossed him into a nearby building. Hazel was with her and she commanded her bee drones to fly over the enemy and to fire if he showed aggression. Sapphire ran into Moneta to see Ghost on the ground with his aura broken and his clothes in tatters. His body was jolting from the previous attack and he was breathing erratically. Sapphire cupped his face for a moment then lifted his body to put in on her shoulders. She planned on carrying him out of here.

"Are you okay? Tell me you're okay?" Sapphire asked with great concern.

"I'm still kickin-" Ghost said, but he started coughing roughly.

"We're going to get you on that airship. You can't keep going anymore," she told him.

"No. There are… still people out there who need to get out of Fortuna," Ghost tried to argue, but Sapphire wasn't hearing it.

"You already know not everyone's going to make it out of here alive. It's sad, but we should try to save as many as we can and I'm definitely making sure you get out of here alive."

When Sapphire got the both of them outside, she could see Hazel failing to apprehend Shiranui. He used his whip to wrap around one drone then slammed it into the other and the thunderclap from the lantern smashed both of them. The last one fired its laser at him only to miss when Shiranui ran out the way. He leaped toward the drone and shocked it with his Gi then landed on the ground. Hazel felt defenseless and was frozen on the spot as Shiranui cracked his lantern whip at her. Sapphire cracked the cables on her Spinnerets and wrapped them around the whip, but the faunus sent a powerful wave of electricity her way through her cables. She pushed Ghost out of the way since she couldn't stop electric blast that ran up her weapon and shocked her to the ground. Shiranui continued with his previous action to attack Hazel. His lantern almost reached the terrified bee faunus, but Ghost intervened. He managed to run toward Hazel before the whip hit her and pushed her out the way with his damaged body. The lantern hit Ghost's shoulder and the thunderclap shock-wave that came after wracked his body greatly, sending him flying before he fell to the ground unconscious.

"One down, one to go," Shiranui said to himself.

He made his way to Ghost and wrapped his tail around his neck. He planned to take him now and come back for Hazel later. He dragged the defeated enforcer through the sand as he made his way to the airship. Hazel glanced at Sapphire on the ground and Ghost being treated like a corpse and she couldn't take it anymore. Everything that has happened today has pushed her to her breaking point.

"HEY!" Hazel shouted at Shiranui and he acted accordingly.

He turned around to see what she could want and he fell into her trap. Hazel did the one thing she hated doing and that was using her semblance: Pandemonium. Her aura was being emitted from her body and it was ghastly, showing that her semblance was active. Shiranui only had to look at it to be under its spell. The moment he looked at her, his face had a stunned expression before he fell to his knees and loosening his tail's grip on Ghost. As Hazel got up to help Sapphire, Shiranui was under the effect of Pandemonium: his mind was trapped in a dream-like state, forced to face his nightmares and fears. As the two members of CLSH picked up the unconscious Ghost, Shiranui was in his mind running away from people who wanted to hunt him down like an animal.

They left him there to deal wit it on his own. Since Hazel did it out of anger, she activated Pandemonium without setting a certain time for Shiranui to be released by it. It could happen in an hour, any minute, or when someone snaps him out of it, so she and Sapphire had to get out of there as fast as they could while carrying Ghost. He may have been under the hypnosis of Pandemonium, but Shiranui now understood why Carabosse wanted Hazel's power.

 **Setting: Carabosse's Airship**

Grayson had Alexandrite rest in the barracks where she planned to sleep for a while before returning the battle. Grayson had no doubts his comrade would recover soon, but it wasn't his concern now, because it was his turn to move out. Outside the ship were Carabosse Vantablack, Ebony Vantablack, and Grayson. The key figures in the destruction of Fortuna were finally ready to enter the fray.

* * *

 **Among the prisoners that escaped prison, Redd was one of them. He isn't running around Fortuna like most of the other prisoners, rather he was one of the few that escaped the moment Platinum broke the cells of the prison.**


	44. Chapter 44

**Author's Note: I wanted to get the invasion of Fortuna and Volume Five complete before the end of 2017, but that doesn't seem like a possibility now. I'm still working on the last chapters of the story and will be uploading them more frequently to finish the volume.**

* * *

 **Chapter 44: VRSZ Ravagers Part Four**

 **Setting: Concordia**

Violet, Silver, and Onyx finally made it to their destination, Concordia. They saw small groups of people make their way through to get to the eastern border to escape the destruction. Hours have passed since this all started and Clair has been able to make sure her people were escorted out of Fortuna. C.P. has been taking droves of them to safe settlements. Violet planned to have Onyx and Silver get on board where they could be safe while she continued the fight against the Ravagers and find her other boys.

A small group of escaped prisoners came out of a vacant building in order to get the drop on the people. Unfortunately for them, Violet was present and she wasn't taking any prisoners. She left Onyx and Silver to fight them off. She approached one and delivered a hard elbow to his jaw, knocking him out in an instant. The other three prisoners could barely react to her as she activated Invisibility to remain unseen and undetected. One was unsure what was going on until he felt something grab his arm then felt it snap. He screamed in tremendous pain now that his arm was bending in the opposite direction then he stopped when he Violet kicked him in the back of his head, forcing him down on one knee until she delivered another kick in the same spot, smashing his face into the ground and rendering him unconscious. One prisoner decided to attack the citizens and Violet responded by throwing an Enigma at him while she and the knife were still invisible. The man was stabbed right below the throat and collapsed while Violet and the knife became visible once she deactivated her semblance. The prisoner was dead, leaving only one more to deal with and he didn't plan on going down without a fight. He came up behind Violet in an attempt to take her down. She was fully aware he was there and was prepared to counterattack, but someone beat her to the punch. The man was stabbed through the body by a small blade. Once the blade was pulled out of his body and the dead prisoner fell, Violet and the others could the one responsible was Sterling with his pen sword.

"Thanks, Sterling," she said gratefully.

"Anytime, Miss Violet. I am to assume you are here to leave with the rest of the citizens?" the older Vantablack guessed.

"Close. I'm just dropping these two off then I'm going to get the rest of my boys and stop Grayson and his group once and for all."

"Then I should say thank you for saving my nephew and good luck on your endeavor. Head in that direction and an airship should be there. Just follow the people." Sterling pointed in the direction the citizens were walking.

"Thank you. Um… Where's-" Violet started and Sterling answered.

"Clair is in her office issuing her task force to retreat. She wishes to stay until the last group of people escape before moving on her own. I'll be her guardian in the meantime. And perhaps it's better for you to find the others and leave. I would hate to learn any of you didn't make it out alive because of a grudge."

"Alright, that's good to hear. We'll be going now," Violet said as she escorted Silver and Onyx to the airship and Sterling returned to Concordia to resume his duty.

Sterling walked into the building then took the stairs to get to Clair's floor. Unknown to him, Carabosse and Ebony were outside Concordia and were making their way into Clair's office. The malevolent and charming Vantablacks were ready to strike.

 **Setting: Eastern Border**

Violet, Silver, and Onyx finally made it to the eastern border of Fortuna. They could see all the citizens that made it this part of the city line up for the airship that's supposed to take them to safety. After a couple of people got on board, C.P. started the airship and flew off. Violet got Onyx and Silver in line where she planned to leave them.

"Be safe you two. I'll be back," Violet told them in a reassuring tone before leaving.

Once she was gone, Silver walked off the line to head back into the city. Onyx had no idea what the freelancer was thinking so he asked, "Where are you going?"

"Back. I'm not staying on the sidelines while they fight those Ravager bastards," Silver answered as he made his way back to Fortuna while being careful with his bruised arm. Onyx didn't try to dissuade him because he didn't believe Silver would listen.

Silver tried to get back into the city but stopped when he looked up at the sky. He saw a horde of Grimm beginning to reach Fortuna. A swarm of the bat Grimm, Alucard, were flying above and he realized it was best if he stayed here. He remained at the airship, not to get on board and leave, but to fend off any Grimm that came toward the people and of course, they did. Silver pulled out Ceasefire and fired bullets non-stop at any of the incoming monsters. He wasn't alone in this endeavor as Bianca and Blood were on the scene. Bianca joined Silver by shooting with Archangels. Blood was unarmed so Silver tossed him both Ceasefire guns and he pulled out Fenrir. The three members of Team BASG were able to hold down the fort for all the remaining citizens to get on board, including Cerise protecting citizens with Shields then, Sapphire, Hazel arrived while dragging an injured Ghost who helped as much as he could by shooting lightning out the palm of Purgatory at a swarm of Alucard three times before getting on the airship.

 **Setting: Moneta**

Grayson was supposed to be with the two Vantablacks, but he had to be somewhere else. He walked through the ruined streets of Fortuna with his scroll out and leading him to the signal of another. He reached the signal to find Shiranui in the hypnotic state Hazel left him in. Grayson was wondering why his strategist wasn't moving around the city or briefing him about the targets. Watching his tactician in this state was pitiful and Grayson remembered how to snap him out of it. Grayson slapped Shiranui hard in the face which snapped him out of Pandemonium.

"GAH!?... What the-" Shiranui shouted out once his nightmare was over.

"Come on. Time for you to tag out. Your part in this mission is over. Get to the airship and wait it out there," Grayson ordered.

"Very well. I apologize for not retrieving any of the targets."

"Don't worry about it. That's Carabosse's objective, not ours. We want Fortuna and we'll have when this is all over. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to meet with the employer," Grayson said with confidence as he made his way to Concordia.

 **Setting: Liberia**

The battle with Platinum was still going on. The destruction began with her, but it didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. She was fighting Remus, Zelts, and Loden and the battle progressed aggressively, destructively, but slowly. She fired missiles at first but she stopped after they broke through her shields and Remus could redirect them with his semblance. She resorted to firing laser cannons and bullets from her guns which proved to put them on the defensive. The mad genius admitted trying to kill them took too much time, but she enjoyed every second of it.

She fired large, powerful laser blasts at them consecutively, but Zelts was able to take care of it for a time. He used Conversion to absorb all the lasers that were fired their way. He had one wingblade embedded into the ground so the energy had a run-off point and allowed him to absorb an infinite amount of energy, but he was stuck in one place to do it. Loden used World Splitter to create tall, large walls of stone that served as barriers for herself and Remus. They were pinned down for the moment as Platinum unleashed relentless attacks on them. She knew Zelts could absorb energy, but not bullets. She aimed the battlesuit's barrel guns at him while he was still in the middle of using his semblance.

Remus saw this coming and used Checkpoint to intercept. He teleported in the air in front of one of the guns and threw Romulus at it the gun turret before it fired. The double-bladed staff entered the gun and ripped through it with relative ease. Remus teleported right in his weapon's path, caught it, and teleported again. He teleported behind the other gun and did the same thing again, destroying the other turret but it was able to fire one shot. Zelts brought up one wingblade to block the which was successful, but Zelts was pushed back because of the inefficient way he blocked it. Remus used this moment to try and slice through the hide of the battlesuit. He teleported to the machine's cockpit and lifted Romulus to pierce both the armor and Platinum, but there was a small problem: Remus couldn't deliver the final blow. He was hesitant on doing this because he could kill the mad scientist and that weighed on him. He brought Romulus down halfheartedly and only stabbed the armor lightly despite the energy coursing through his weapon. Zelts noticed this as well and realized he had to speak to his friend.

Platinum saw the tip of Remus' blade from above and she laughed manically. She transformed her cybernetic arm into a plasma cannon and aimed it directly above. He fired it and the destructive orb of energy blasted through her cockpit and hit Remus point-blank just like the last time. He was sent flying in the air and Platinum aimed all her laser cannons on him. She was about to fire everything she had on him with a deranged smile on her face until to waves of stones erected from the ground and slammed into the battlesuit, interrupting her attack. Zelts need to protect Remus as well and sent a powerful blast of condensed wind Platinum's way, pushing the battlesuit back a couple of feet which were an impressive feat. Remus finally came to and used Checkpoint to teleport back next to Zelts. Platinum fired everything she had at them and Loden used her naginata to create more walls of stone to protect them. She made layer after layer and continued to make more as the battlesuit's weaponry began blasting through their defenses. Zelts and Remus took cover behind one of the walls and Zelts had something to talk about with his friend.

"Remus, what are you doing? You could've finished this if you followed through," Zelts told him.

"…I don't think I can actually kill someone Zelts. It's one thing if it's Grimm or machines, but a real person… I don't know. Even you told me killing was wrong," Remus admitted to his friend.

Zelts was amazed by this. He remembered the talk he had with Remus when they started out as a team, back when Remus was more stoic and unfeeling.

* * *

 _"P-please stop, have mercy," the bounty hunter said hoarsely trying to crawl away from Remus who raised his sword ready to deliver the finishing blow but Zelts grabbed his arm tightly to stop him. The coldness in his eyes vanished when he saw it was Zelts who looked upset with him._

 _"I know they were after us, but we shouldn't kill them, Remus," Zelts told him firmly._

 _"...We shouldn't?" Remus asked tilting his head with the coldness starting to fade._

 _Seeing that it didn't take much to convince him, Zelts lightened up. "...Yeah, we don't kill people on a whim. It should only be a last resort."_

 _"Understood"_

* * *

Zelts was actually proud Remus kept that moment close in his heart and it helped shape him into the individual he is today, but Zelts needed him to put that behind him for this instance.

"I remember Remus, but I also told you that killing should be a last resort and this is it," Zelts tried to convince him and it was working.

"But-" Remus was still contemplating until Zelts told him what he needed to hear.

"Remus," he said in a stern tone. "Platinum has destroyed Fortuna, our home, and killed some many people just for fun and she doesn't plan on stopping. She's not playing by the same rules as you and you have to adapt to that. If you don't, then she's going to kill more people. That includes us, Silver, Violet, everyone!"

Remus took Zelts' words to heart. His eye was intense like they used to be when he was in an intense battle. He remembered the last time fought Platinum and how he could barely cut through her improved cybernetic limbs. It was true that he couldn't cut all the way through, but he could've done a deal of damage if he had the killer instinct he lost long ago. After all, Lupa told him not to let fighting consume him or become the Delta that she originally raised him to be. He felt torn between staying the same and losing everything and taking a dangerous Platinum wasn't going to hold back so why should he? Remus realized he needed to go all-out for this and he couldn't hold back anymore. Zelts didn't realize it, but his words changed Remus internally, for better or worse.

"Zelts," Remus said with confidence. "I need you."

"Delta Stream?" Zelts guessed, but Remus shook his head. As he said, Remus was no longer holding back.

"Omega Drive," Remus said with resolve.

Loden was creating more wall of stone to replace the ones Platinum's battlesuit demolished with ease. This continued while Zelts had his speech with Remus and after, but Loden couldn't keep this up forever. Her arms were getting tired every time she dug World Splitter into the ground to rip up some earth and she was slowing down. Platinum's battlesuit, however, wasn't showing any sign of running out of ammunition. Bullets, lasers, and missiles broke through the stone wall Loden just created and the force of the impact knocked the huntress in training all the way back into the stone wall behind her. It was enough to break through her aura and frustrate her further. She didn't plan on being humbled by the same opponent three times in a row.

A missile was heading to Loden's way and her arms were too exhausted to lift World Splitter. She didn't flinch or look away from her impending death, even though it never came. In front of her was Zelts with his shield raised up to take on the missile then felt Remus put his hand on her shoulder. When the missile collided with the Heart of Gold and the explosion covered the area in smoke and fire, Remus used Checkpoint on himself, Loden, and Zelts to take them behind all the stone walls Loden created.

Platinum noticed they were gone and decided to just fire everything everywhere, hoping to flush them out. Loden had no idea what they were planning until Zelts asked if she could make a runway out of earth. She said she could but asked why he needed it and he answered, "Remus is faster on solid ground than he is on sand."

Loden did as he asked and created a runway made of stone on the sands of Fortuna. Remus got on in and Zelts stood behind him, getting in position. Zelts' eyes were glowing gold from a full-powered Conversion and he had Heart of Gold as wingblades. Remus crouched down into a runner's start. Thanks to Lupa, Remus has been trained to have unlimited potential, making his abilities above that of average humans, the first ability to be bloom was his speed. His top speed has never been seen by his teammates. The fastest he has done is around 80 mph. He always just started running from any position and being in Vacuo meant running on the sand all the time. Now that he was on solid ground and getting a runner's start, it was anyone's guess. Loden stayed on the side to witness their plan.

"Ready?" Zelts asked.

"Born ready," Remus stated.

Platinum was breaking down the last of the stone barriers as the two Freelancers got ready. Zelts began by twirling his wingblades around to create a wind funnel using all the energy in Conversion which transformed his usual green gale into a golden windstorm surging with electricity. It enveloped Remus and the entire runway as well as hit the earth wall in front of them. Zelts concentrated the wind so it was smaller while it still encompassed Remus. Remus himself was in the eye of the storm as he waited for Platinum. The mad genius blasted through two more walls until there were only three walls left and that was his cue. It happened in an instant. Remus ran and he kicked up the stone where he started. Zelts nor Loden saw him the moment he launched himself but they could saw him run forward in the storm and rode the wind. He had Romulus in staff more with one blade and the blue energy flowed through it. The blade served as a lightning rod as the electricity reached the tip of the blade. Remus' body rotated along with the tornado funnel as he pressed forward. They were performing Delta Stream until the cobalt blue glow from Remus' blade and the golden wind of Zelts' tornado combined to create the shimmering jade color that signified the evolved Omega Drive.

There was only one barrier left. Platinum had her laser cannons ready to fire everything they have to incinerate all in their path with Remus on the other side inside the spiraling vortex of power. Omega Drive was much faster than the lasers so it reached the stone wall first. Before the lasers reached the wall, Remus pierced through it with explosive force and hit the lasers instead. The two attacks didn't clash in a struggle because the moment Remus came in contact with the large laser blast, he overpowered it with ease and split it apart as he made his way to the battlesuit's laser arm. The spiraling jade tornado pierced through the left arm of Platinum's battlesuit, something the mad genius did not expect. She looked at the beauty of Omega Drive and how it ripped through her battlesuit. All the additional she equipped it with were flying all over the area. She was getting aroused at her masterpiece being damaged like this.

Zelts and Loden were happy they were finally able to greatly damage the battlesuit. However, Remus, still spinning in the tornado, was far from satisfied. He was going to end this once and for all and he was going to do it by breaking his limit and then some. He used Checkpoint in the middle of Omega Drive and teleported himself and the entire attack to the battlesuit's right side then drilled through the right arm. He did it again, ripping the right leg then again with the left leg, reducing the once terrifying Atlesian weapon of mass destruction into nothing more than an open cockpit with a deranged girl inside.

Zelts and Loden were amazed at how Remus combined their ultimate attack with his semblance to attack from all sides with devastating force. Zelts was glad that he could bring this out of his friend so they could win the fight, but that changed when he saw that Remus wasn't done. Omega Drive was coming to an end as the shimmering jade tornado was losing rotation, but that didn't stop Remus from using the last of its power. He used Checkpoint to teleport in front of the airborne cockpit, where Platinum was too dazzled with what she saw to react properly, and plowed right through it. Platinum was in the flying in the air along with Remus. Her aura levels were reduced to zero in that attack and her cybernetic arm was destroyed. Remus, on the other hand, didn't relent in his offensive. He split Romulus into its dual sword form with the energy still flowing through it and slashed off her left leg then the right. He used Checkpoint to teleport safely on the ground while leaving a one-limb girl to fall from great heights.

Zelts thought they may have been overkill though that word seemed to be Platinum's middle name so he didn't think much of it. He and Loden walked toward their triumphant friend and defeated foe to see Remus raise his blade at Platinum's only flesh and blood arm. Now Zelts thought this overkill.

"Remus! Stop!" he shouted, but Remus didn't listen as his eyes were focused solely on Platinum.

"You lost," Remus said to Platinum in a stern tone that was so not his character. "You said you'd tell what's going on if we beat you and we did. Tell us everything you know or else." Threatening someone was too out of character for him and it concerned Loden and Zelts.

Platinum was laying on the ground with blood trickling down her mouth. It was grand for her. She always got a high from her machines getting defeated because it meant she could try creating something better. She loved challenges. This time she created her greatest masterpiece and it was reduced to scrap metal. Platinum wasn't upset or sad it was destroyed, but rather her body was aroused to a level she has never reached before. She felt like she had reached a higher plane of pleasure leaving her completely content. She looked at Remus with a small smile.

"We were hired by someone to attack Fortuna and capture people. In exchange, she told us about the location of your base," she answered honestly.

"Who hired you," Zelts asked.

"Carabosse Vantablack," she answered.

"…Violet was right. That lady is bad news," Zelts said more to himself. He felt horrible for giving that woman the benefit of the doubt.

Loden didn't know what to say to Zelts to make him feel better. She felt like she was just a witness to this revelation and couldn't do anything more which frustrated her. Remus caught something Platinum said in her answer.

"What did you mean by capture? Who did she want you to capture?" Remus interrogated.

"Oh, a few people. Two or three, including Zelts' shield. She wanted that too, but it doesn't look like she'll get it. Ah. And she wants to take Violet for herself but never told us why." Hearing their leader's name on Carabosse's list surprised Remus and Zelts.

"Why Violet?" Remus demanded, even though she just said Carabosse never told them.

"She wouldn't tell us, Grayson didn't trust her," she said in a sing-song voice. "She didn't say anything, but the other one, Ebony, told us behind her aunt's back. Carabosse was going to take Alyssa to Atlas. To her family."

"Who's Alyssa?" Loden asked, but Remus and Zelts were too stunned to answer.

Carabosse Vantablack knew Violet's true identity, backstory, and was planning to unravel her life. And Ebony ratted her out for some reason. Regardless, Remus and Zelts weren't going to let the Vantablack get away with her scheme.

In the sky above was a horde of Alucard that were filling the sky. The Grimm were planning to dive down and attack any remaining people in Fortuna and leave nothing but ruin in their wake. Zelts looked up and was worried this was truly going to be the end of Fortuna. Loden was worried about her teammates and hoped they made it to safety. Remus was more concerned about Violet and planned on making sure they all got out of here in one piece. A small group of Alucard swooped down to attack them, but Remus put a hand on Zelts and Loden then used Checkpoint to get out of there, leaving Platinum at the mercy of the Grimm. The mad genius didn't scream or cry in pain when the large bats piled on top of her then ripped her to shreds. She was at peace, even in her last moments, Platinum had a smile on her face. Despite all she had done in her life, Platinum had no regrets.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ Base**

Remus used Checkpoint to teleport them all to the place he was most familiar with, their home or what was left of it. He, Zelts, and Loden were astonished to see their base was reduced to rubble, again. Zelts and Remus were tired of finding their homes destroyed every time enemies invaded their home. And Zelts didn't know why, but he figured Silver had something to do with this. With the Alucards covering the sky above them, Loden figured it was time to reunite with her teammates to make sure they were alright. Remus and Zelts were going to locate Silver and Violet to deal with this matter together, received a text from Silver saying he needed their help at the eastern border. The two of them departed to help their friend as well as hoping Violet was with him.

 **Setting: Concordia**

Violet ran through what remained of the city in order to find her other teammates. The path from the border to Concordia was much more dangerous than before. The arrival of the Grimm meant she had to fight her way through, throwing Enigmas at any Alucard that got to close and using Invisibility when she wanted to lose a swarm hunting her. She watched as the remaining escaped prisoners were attacked by the Grimm. Some were grabbed by the large bats and taken high into the air to be attacked in a frenzy, others were ripped to shreds on the spot, but Violet had no remorse for them.

She made her way to the building of Concordia and wondered if Clair made it out safely, but that changed when she saw someone she knew all too well. Grayson was swinging on the roof of the building with his grapple sword. He leaped off and swung into the window of a room, breaking in with ease. Violet recognized which room he broke into, Clair's office. Violet ran into Concordia and scaled the stairs as fast as she could n order to prevent whatever was Grayson was trying to do.

Violet made it to the floor where Clair's office was located and didn't hesitate to burst through the doors. At first, Violet couldn't believe the sight she saw because she didn't want it to be true. In front of her was Clair, on her knees and shedding tears, Grayson standing close to her while removing the pen sword that was stabbed into his chest, and between them was Sterling, laying on the ground with Grayson's sword through his chest. Blood filled the air and only the sound of Clair's weeping could be heard. Violet felt nothing at first. There was a void in her mind that was still processing what she just witnessed.

Grayson slowly pulled his sword out of Sterling's deceased body then flicked the blood off of it. He pulled out the pen sword in his chest and threw it in front of Clair.

"So much for a guardian-" Grayson mocked but stopped when he finally noticed Violet was in the room.

"Oh, hey Vi. I was wondering when you'd show up," he said in a friendly tone.

The empty void in Violet's mind was filled with searing rage. She didn't say a word to Clair or Grayson. She simply pulled out her kukris then tackled Grayson through the window. The two of them were falling form Concordia until Grayson threw his grapple sword at a nearby building to save his life. Violet did the same with the new cable she bought herself today and hunted him down. She wasn't going to let him run, she wasn't going to fight him and leave, Violet planned on killing him and the negative emotion was attracting some of the Grimm to their battle.

Back in Clair's office, Carabosse and Ebony Vantablack appeared through the door that connected the office to Clair's bedroom. The malevolent Vantablack had a satisfied look on her face with everything that has happened, especially the death of her obstinate brother. Ebony was quiet about the whole ordeal. Carabosse extended a hand out to Clair for her to take.

"You're coming with me."

 **Chapter 45: VRSZ Ravagers Final Act**

* * *

 **Remus will be receiving a new theme song and it's the first theme song without lyrics; Jet Set Run: My Hero Academia OST. This song is the evolved form of You Say Run and I feel it fits because Remus has evolved as well. At the beginning of the series, he has been 'all training, no experience'. After his fight with Platinum, Remus has undergone character development that will affect him for either better or worse. Remus lost some of his naivete after training with Lupa, but now he was lost all of it. He takes things a little more seriously and fights with his all, no longer afraid of giving it his all and becoming the Delta. Despite losing what remained of his innocence, Remus is still a kind and friendly individual, but now he has the drive. His change will be noticed by his teammates and they'll wonder if he is alright when he shows a little aggression, but they'll understand that he is showing signs of growth. I began watching the show a few weeks ago and felt like Remus' "Give it your all!" attitude might fit into My Hero Academia.**

 **His change in attitude made me think of a 'what if' story for Remus. In an alternate story where Remus was still the Delta in Lupa's experiment and he was pitted against his brother, Alpha, Remus would've won the fight and grow to be a living weapon. Lupa wouldn't be concerned about his life like she is now and only sees him as the Delta. She would have him gain more and strength to prove that inner potential is the way for people to fight the Grimm. Remus would have no emotions at all and be considered a dangerous threat to the kingdoms. They would attack and he would unleash destruction against all those who pose a threat, including Dr. Lupa who soon considered him a threat that needed to be terminated. Eventually, Salem would find her way to Remus and coerce him to her cause. This 'what if' story is like the story of Frankenstein's monster.**

 **If Remus' story did take this turn, his theme would be changed to Infinite: Sonic Forces OST for obvious reasons. This theme could also be used for his brother Romulus when he was killed and rebuilt as the Alpha.**


	45. Chapter 45

**Author's Note: Happy New Years everyone!**

* * *

 **Chapter 45: VRSZ Ravagers Final Act**

 **Fifteen Minutes Before the End of the Previous Chapter**

 **Setting: Eastern Border**

Remus, Zelts, and Loden finally made it to the airship where everyone was evacuating and Team BASG were fending off the Grimm that tried to attack them. Silver was on the ground with Fenrir, firing round after round at any Alucards that dared to come near the airship. Blood and Bianca took a more direct approach to deal with the flying swarm. Blood ran out of ammo in Ceasefire so he abandoned the guns and flew through the thicket of Grimm while carrying Bianca by grabbing her arms. Since she was holding onto Blood's arms, Bianca can't use her guns to attack the Grimm though she had a more powerful weapon in her arsenal. Blood was a very fast and agile fighter. He dodged all the Grimm bats that came for them, zipping through the sky while drawing the attention of the Alucards away from the remaining citizens that boarded the airship. While doing this, Bianca had Stardust activated and let the shining particles float in the air as she left a trail everywhere Blood flew. The shining Stardust particles began to outnumber the Grimm in the sky, shining light down on Fortuna for the first time in hours. Blood returned to the ground with Bianca, landing near Zelts and Remus with all the Grimm tailing behind them.

"Zelts, if you would?" Bianca asked and he knew what she wanted.

Zelts split his Heart of Gold into wingblades and spun them in the direction of the Grimm, creating a spiraling windstorm that captured all the incoming Grimm and Stardust particles. Zelts made it larger until it was a large tornado that sucked in all the Alucards and Stardust particles in the sky, covering the green tornado into a mixture black clusters and brilliant light. This move sucked in all the Grimm that would attack the airship and the citizens used this time to board the vehicle.

Zelts kept the tornado going with all the Alucards unable to flying out of the vortex and Bianca used her semblance to eradicate the Grimm in one fell swoop. She snapped her gloved finger with the fire dust woven in and the Stardust particles kindled into flames, engulfing and scorching all the Grimm inside while transforming the tornado into a massive inferno that brightened the area. This was similar to Zelts and Violet's Petal Storm: Hellfire.

Back on the airship, the members of Team CLSH, Onyx, and Ghost noticed the vortex of fire and all of them felt like they'll be fine.

Zelts stopped creating the tornado and the Alucards that weren't burned to cinders fell from the sky like fiery rain. They landed on the ground where they were burned to death. Zelts and Bianca's combined strength was able to eradicate all the Grimm in this area, reducing the number of Alucards flying in Fortuna tremendously.

"Nice," Silver complimented after watching such a dazzling display. "Glad you guys could make it. Where's Violet?"

"Not here, meaning she's still somewhere in Fortuna," Remus answered.

"Alright, then let's get her," Silver said.

"Where would she be?" Zelts asked.

They all heard something collapse immediately after Zelts asked the question. They saw a building crumble to the ground. "That's a good place to start," Silver said.

"Then let's go," Remus said, taking a more direct approach than he usually does. He placed a hand Silver and Zelts then used Checkpoint to teleport to that area, leaving Blood and Bianca to talk about their own plans.

"Now that the Grimm are here and the last of the people are on board, I'll go get Lady Clair," Bianca said.

"I'll get Clair, Bianca," Blood told her. "I'll be able to get there faster in the air than you on foot." Blood told Clair and didn't give her time to discuss the matter. He flew into the air toward Fortuna to locate his boss and Bianca decided it was the best course of action though she still wanted to be there to protect Clair. She decided to stay with airship in order to safeguard it from any stray Grimm.

 **Setting: Ruined Fortuna**

Remus teleported himself and his team using Checkpoint along with his bionic eye to reach the exact location where the building just fell. With most of the buildings in Fortuna reduced to rubble, it was hard to distinguish where they were. A lot of structures and landmarks were destroyed so neither of them could really tell what district they were in, but they quickly learned Violet wasn't the cause of the building falling.

All three of them heard the sound of loud stomping and looked past the clouds of dust and smoke to see a massive Grimm. The mangled, draconic body discerned that it was a Jabberwock, just like the one they faced long ago. The beast had its red eyes on all three of them and let out an ear-screeching shriek. It released a powerful burst of blue flames from its mouth into the sky before charging toward the team.

"Ah shit," Silver complained before he and the others were attacked..

 **Setting: Clair's Office**

Clair was watching the remaining Grimm in her city and deemed it was time for her and Sterling to take her leave. She wasn't happy with how things turned out. Her city, her Fortuna, which she worked so hard to cultivate, has been destroyed and by a fellow Vantablack no less. She felt foolish for not seeing Carabosse for the dangerous person that she was, but couldn't dwell on it now. "It's time uncle."

"Indeed. Let's be on our way," Sterling agreed.

The two were about to exit her office room until the doors were opened from the other side. Carabosse entered the room like she owned the place. Despite the horrible feeling of her aura suffocating the room, she walked in with elegance and class befitting of a Vantablack. Sterling looked at his younger sister with contempt and Clair began to adopt the same expression until she saw Ebony casually walked in. Her silver eyes met Clair then she smiled and waved at her like they were friends. Throughout this whole crisis, Clair still didn't know what to make of her cousin.

"Hello Sterling. It's nice to see you one last time," Carabosse said.

"Last time?" Sterling questioned.

"Yes, this will be the last time we encounter one another. I'm only here for Clair. I wish for her to come along with me. I want to train her to use her semblance for-"

Sterling pulled out his pen and transformed it into a short sword when she talked. "I won't let that happen! Not while I live!" Sterling pointed his blade at Carabosse, specifically at her heart, and his eyes were full of conviction.

"… I suppose you're right. As long as you are her guardian, then getting her to my side is impossible. You have been a great influence on her and have no doubt installed your morals onto her, but with the right molding she can be an agent of destruction," Carabosse said as she walked to the door leading to Clair's bedroom.

"Why me?" Clair asked in confusion.

"Your semblance is like mine. One that manipulates people to your will, but you refuse to use it that way which is why I want to take you under my wing and help you cultivate it into a fine weapon. Just like how I trained young Ebony here." Carabosse answered.

"I don't plan on doing anything like that with Songstress. After uncle and I get out of here, I plan on laying the ground work for my next project. My people need a place to call home after all," Clair stated.

Sterling was proud of his niece while Carabosse thought it was just pretty words. While she opened the door that led to Clair's kitchen and bedroom, she pressed a button on her scroll. Carabosse used Somnus on Sterling to make him heavy-eyed and sluggish so he wouldn't properly react to what was coming. Responding immediately to her call, Grayson swung into Clair's office from the window and attacked Sterling, as per Carabosse's orders. Grayson's surprise entrance caught the two Vantablacks off-guard and Grayson used this moment to slash Sterling on the back before landing in front of him.

"I'll go pack your things, Clair," Carabosse said smugly as she went through the door with Ebony following behind her.

Sterling parried a strike from Grayson's grapple sword, but he could barely stay on his feet. Not only was he fighting against sleep, but he was also weaker in his old age. Grayson was much faster as he was able to land some gashes on the older Vantablack, chipping away at his aura. Clair was very similar to Violet when it comes to combat; she didn't like being the damsel in distress. She was about to use Songstress to subdue the ravager, but Grayson was aware of her semblance. Grayson clashed with Sterling once more then pushed him away, that's when he noticed Clair beginning a melody and lunged for her. He had his sword ready to kill, not for Clair but for the one he knew would come and protect her. Sterling quickly got between the two and had his pen sword directed at Grayson's heart. The mercenary swerved his body to avoid the blade as well as still drive his weapon into Sterling and he succeeded, plunging his sword into Sterling's chest while the pen sword stabbed into his shoulder.

Clair looked on in silence at the sight before her. Sterling Vantablack, her loving uncle who has been with her since the death of her parents, the man who helped her build Fortuna into what it was and the one of the few people she could always trust, was dead. She didn't respond verbally, she couldn't. No words could describe what she was feeling, though the tears filling her eyes did the job rather well. She silently shed tears at the horrible end that fell her uncle and didn't pay attention to what happened next.

Violet entered the room to see the end of the spectacle and charged straight for Grayson in blind fury. Both leaders of the Freelancers and Ravagers fell through the window of her office to fight their battle. Feeding off of Violet's killing intent, the Alucards began to follow them. Clair was left alone in her office with Carabosse and Ebony Vantablack walking back into the room, leaving Clair at their mercy.

 **Setting: Ruined Fortuna**

When they swung down from Concordia Violet saw her moment to strike. She threw an ice Enigma at Grayson when he tried to land on the roof of a building. She was aiming for a kidney, but got his left leg instead, freezing it and causing him to loosen his grip on his cable. The extra weight of the ice threw Grayson off his original trajectory and he fell through the window of the building instead of the ceiling. He tumbled into the building and hid in the shadows of the room to wait for Violet to arrive. It was silent for a disturbing long time. Grayson wasn't sure what she was doing. With her Invisibility, Violet could be in this room without being noticed or plotting something from the outside. He had no idea.

Grayson heard explosions and felt the building rumble. Outside the building, Violet was throwing fire Enigmas at the ruined building and making them all explode on impact which brought the building down. The building was beginning to fall apart, starting with it splitting in two. The room Grayson was in was split down the middle and a couple of Grimm entered. Four Alucards flew in to building along with a cable knife that hooked onto the split wall of the building. Violet swung in to jump on top of one Alucard then leaped on one after another like they were stepping stones. She ignored the Grimm because her real target was Grayson who stood before her, stabbing his sword into the ground to keep from falling over. Violet had a fire Enigma in her hand and threw it at Grayson like a small fireball after she leapt off the last Alucard. Grayson aimed Tawny's arm guard at her then fired several feather blades her way.

Violet dove down to avoid the blades as they hit and slayed all the Grimm instead. She rolled on the ground to cover the distance between her and Grayson while pulling out one of her kukris in one movement. She tried to slash Grayson with her knife only for her move to be countered by Grayson defending with his grapple sword. The two were clashed in sword and knife with neither landing a blow. Grayson blocked Violet's attacks while Violet blocked and evaded. The building was about to fall over and crumble, meaning the two needed to escape. Grayson threw his grapple sword into the wall closest to where the building was split and reeled himself up. He climbed to the edge and threw his sword again to a nearby building where he reeled himself. Violet activated the gravity dust in her kukris to lighten her body so she could jump high on the floor that was now a wall because of the fall building. She used the dust to make sure she stuck to the wall and run up it toward safety until she noticed that Grayson's explosives fell from above, showing he didn't want Violet to make it out alive. The bombs fell past Violet then went off, consuming the room in a large explosion. The building collapsed and fell to the ground with no sign of Violet coming out of the room.

Scanning the are from the nearby building, Grayson wanted to believe that Violet died in the explosion and building collapsing on top of her, but he knew that she wouldn't be killed by something so trivial. He searched for her from his on top of the building then felt a presence behind him. He turned around to see some more Alucards were trying to attack him and he responded with Tawny's arm guard. He launched more feather blades at the eight Grimm before him. All the bat Grimm were killed from being stabbed by the storm of blades sent their way, killing all of them as well as using up all the ammo in the arm guard. He dropped the weapon now that it was useless.

In one quick moment, Grayson felt something hit his stomach hard then felt his body get cold. It wasn't the coldness of death but actual freezing temperature all over his body. Appearing out of nowhere was ice covering his chest and left arm and in front of Grayson was Violet, deactivating Invisibility to show se was still alive. He knew from past encounters that she wouldn't go down easily. He broke through the ice using his broadsword and Violet threw a wind Enigma at his feet. The wind dust inside the throwing knife created a small gale of wind that propelled Grayson in the air and off the building.

Violet's original plan was to have him fall helplessly to the ground while encased in ice, but he reacted faster than she anticipated. Even though the battle appeared to be in her favor, she had to remember that Grayson is an extremely capable fighter. Not to mention his semblance, Vitality, allows him to survive in harsh conditions and harder to kill in battle. Fatal wounds for him can be mendable so Violet had to deliver a killing blow that's definite, like cutting off his head or plunging an Enigma through his heart like he did Sterling. Either way, she planned on making sure he meets his end.

Grayson was falling off the roof of the destroyed, two-story building until he threw his grapple sword at the side of it. He swung down to the ground in safety then retracted his blade back into his hand. With the moving about in his battle, Grayson hadn't realized he was a fair distance from Concordia, probably about four blocks away. This was getting hectic, but all he needed to do was survive the night until he and his Ravagers were the last ones standing in Fortuna. He threw his grapple sword onto the side of a building then reeled himself in until he was high in the air, then threw it again at another building.

He reeled himself in to reach the structure, but an Enigma cloaked in earth in the form of a blade ripped through the air. It cut through the cable connecting him with his sword and Grayson started to fall while in mid-air, but dove for where his sword was. He was able to grab it and crash through the window next to it. Seeing as how he couldn't use his grapple sword to run around, Grayson figured this would be where they duke it out. He backed away and wielded his sword in a combat stance. Violet busted through the window with an Enigma in her right hand and her stretched shirt collar covering her mouth and nose like a mask.

Grayson acted first by throwing several of his bombs at her, but she responded by tossing the throwing knife in their path. It was an ice Enigma that created a small wave of ice when it hit the ground in front of the bombs which were encased in ice before they went off, rendering them useless. Violet pulled out her kukri and used the fire dust to cloak it in flames. She wielded it in one hand as she jumped over the ice to face Grayson who moved in to strike when she jumped. He struck her side, slashing at her gut and aura, knocking her to his right side. Violet went for him and spun around with both arms out. Grayson stepped away whenever she got close and waited for the moment to move in and strike. He found his opening in the form of Violet's unarmed left side and dashed for her when she turned to her left. He was ready to run his sword through her until he faltered, stumbled, then rolled away from her. The side of his face had bits of frost on it and Grayson looked back at her.

"Sly bitch," he said.

Violet deactivated Invisibility in her left hand, showing she had her other kukri cloaked in ice, taking the form of a jagged saber. She was able to cut Grayson's aura when he tried to attack her earlier. A burning knife in one hand and a frozen sword on the other, Grayson was in a battle against ice and fire. Both combatants charged for one another then clashed weapons. They bore down on each other until Grayson pushed Violet off then tried to slash her repeatedly, but she was able to dodge or block his attacks. He delivered a strong strike against the ice blade and Violet refused to let up. Their clash lasted a few seconds before they each made their move. Violet was going to cut him down with her fiery kukri and Grayson had one more bomb left on his person. He tossed the bomb in between them and Violet raised her knife to slit his throat, but the explosive went off first, engulfing the both of them in an explosion.

Both of them were sent flying from the force of the explosion. Grayson landed on the ground and skidded against the floor. His aura began to break after his body stopped moving. Violet was knocked into the wall on the other side of the room and the strong impact knocked the wind out of her as well as break her aura. The explosion itself shook the building greatly. It was unclear whether the entire structure was going to collapse, but neither of them cared. Violet and Grayson just wanted to kill each other, one for revenge and the other for the fun it.

Violet was still doubled over from smashing into the wall, but Grayson was on his feet thanks to Vitality, though he was still in tremendous pain and slowly trudged his way to Violet. She was on her hands and knees, doing her best to catch her breath until she felt Grayson's metal boot crash into her jaw. The blunt force knocked her off her hands and feet onto her back as she spat blood out of her mouth. Grayson began to chuckle to himself as he repeated the action, kicking Violet in her side and causing her to shout in pain for a moment. She curled her body into the fetal position while Grayson continued to stomp and kick her body, leaving bruises. He put his boot on the back of her head and started grinding his heel.

"Aha…ahahaha…ahahaha! Looks like I win!" Grayson mocked as he continued his assault. "Where's your smile, Violet? Where's that Cheshire grin you're known for when everything goes your way? Where!?" Grayson shouted as he kicked her again.

 _"_ _To hell with Carabosse and her plans! I'm killing her now!"_

After having his fun, Grayson thought now was a good time to finally end Violet's life. He had his sword in hand and backed away to get a good, clean cut on Violet. With his sword hand ready, Grayson moved in to deliver the final blow. Violet stayed in the fetal position the entire time in order to find the opening she needed to end this and she found it. Violet had one kukri in her hand and dashed toward Grayson. The two met, crossed blades, and passed each other with blood on their weapons. Violet had blood running down her face and Grayson had blood dripping from his body. Violet's kukri severely cut Grayson in the abdomen and he fell to the ground. Violet received a cut beneath her left eye that reached across the base of her nose.

The wound wasn't deep, but it did bleed and she knew that it will leave a scar. It will be a scar just like all the others on her body though this will be the first one to be on her face. She clutched her face because of the bleeding and the throbbing pain. After everything she has been through, she was very close to passing out, but Violet didn't care about the scar, the blood, or the pain because she was the last one standing. The duel between them ended in her victory.

The battle between the Freelancers & the Ravagers was finally over.

Grayson's semblance was a passive one that helped him survive all these years as a mercenary. Even now, Vitality was keeping the bleeding to a minimum and keeping him conscious, but it didn't make him immortal. If he doesn't receive medical treatment, he'll die. Violet turned around to her defeated for with the intent of killing him to get revenge on Sterling and for bringing such destruction and misery to Fortuna. She was ready to kill him until someone spoke out, and it wasn't Grayson.

"I think that's far enough."

Violet and Grayson turned their heads to see the person intervening on their battle was Ebony with her sword with traces of blood on the blade. Beside her was Blood himself and he was carrying a massive blade, specifically half of Zelts' Heart of Gold. She didn't know what this predicament was anymore. Why was Blood carry half of Zelts' weapon? Why was he here with Ebony? Why was Ebony here? And whose blood was staining her blade?

 _"_ _What the hell is going on?"_ Violet wondered. Little did she know, her scroll was going off. On the screen of her scroll was Remus' cobalt delta symbol, signalling his life was in danger. Her scroll was like this for a while, but she was too focused on her battle with Grayson to notice.

* * *

 **Most antagonist nowadays have tragic backstory, insecurities, or noble sides to them to get the audience to sympathize with them. It's to show that they are human despite their actions which has become a popular thing to do in pretty much everything. Grayson isn't that type of character. He lives as a mercenary, betrays his friends, kills people, lies to everyone, and tries to ruin Violet's life just for the fun of it. The same with killing Sterling. He did it just because he could and it would traumatize Clair. Violet has said and I have said many times before; Grayson is an asshole with a devil-may-care attitude. He doesn't need to be liked. He just needs to be a true antagonist and true antagonist don't just challenge the protagonist, but also takes away the things they cherish.**

 **Chapters 46 & 47 will be about events that are taking place during the battle between Violet & Grayson and events that happen afterwards.**


	46. Chapter 46

**Author's Note: First chapter of the new year. Originally wanted Volume 5 to be finished by the end of 2017, but life gets in the way. The final chapters will be posted before the end of January. I'd also like to say that Volume 5 has become the most popular volume of Team VRSZ based on views, favorites, and follows. It surpassed Volume One several days ago which was surprisingly popular. I'd like to make a shout out to all my readers. Those who followed, reviewed, and placed this series as their favorite. Special recognition to LinxBento for all your reviews and to GraceKim1 not only for your support, but adding Team VRSZ into her story. This new year is starting on a high note.**

* * *

 **Chapter 46: Survive The Night**

 **Setting: Ruined Fortuna**

The ground was shaking, buildings were crumbling, and blue flames covered the landscape. The shriek of a Jabberwock filled the air with ear-splitting dread. The mangled draconic Grimm shot another blue fireball from its mouth in order to hit its prey; the other members of VRSZ who mistook its presence for Violet. Zelts was able to protect his teammates by blocking the giant inferno with his shield yet was feeling fatigued. They all were getting tired after hours of constant battle. Once the fire attack was over, they scattered throughout the area. The beast was destroying everything in its path as it tried to kill one of them and it wasn't alone. The Alucards in the area were converging on the boys as well. With some of the citizens taken to safety and many of them dead during the invasion, there were few emotions for the Grimm to hone in on except for the very few people that remained in Fortuna. Remus, Silver and Zelts were vastly outnumbered, but didn't give in.

This wouldn't be like the previous battle with a Jabberwock where they fumbled around. The roles of the three freelancers were defined easily in this battle. Remus was to be the attacker and strike the large Grimm whenever the moment was right. Zelts was to play defense and protect everyone as best he could as well as create whirlwinds to keep the Alucards at bay. Silver was the only member on the team who wasn't protected by his aura so he had to attack from a distance.

Silver used Gravity to run on the side of a building where he fired several rounds at some Alucards that were trying to flank Zelts. There were four of them and he fired four shots at their heads while he and all the Grimm were in motion, killing each one in an instant. Zelts felt their presence behind him and knew Silver would take care of it for him just as he was doing for Remus by sending a condensed gust of wind at the Jabberwock's side to knock it off balance. The large Grimm was hit by the powerful gale and was knocked to the ground. Remus saw his chance and used Checkpoint to teleport in front of its bone-plated head. With Romulus in double-bladed staff form, he unleashed a fury of strong strikes against its armor. He used the dust energy in his weapon to increase the sharpness of his weapon and it was able to cut through the plating, revealing the Grimm's jet-black head beneath which looked like one would expect without the armor. Remus didn't teleport away after the attack and moved in for the kill, but he was so consumed with ending the fight that he didn't pay attention to Jabberwock moving its tail to its face, smacking him away from the beast and into the side of a building.

Silver changed Fenrir into its sniper rifle form and waited for the right moment. Zelts was busy fending off the Alucards surrounding him to help Remus. He had Heart of Gold as wingblades and spun around to create a spiraling wall of wind that consumed the Grimm. He launched it away into a building that collapsed on impact as well as kill all of the Grimm. After everything that has happened today, Zelts was no longer concerned with property damage. He brought his blades together to reform his shield and he charged straight for the Jabberwock that was trying to burn Remus to a crisp, but he was teleporting all around the ground to remain untouchable. Silver saw his moment when the Grimm tried to breath fire to either hit Remus or scorch the battlefield around them. He fired a bullet laced in fire dust directly into its mouth, before it could unleash its sapphire flames, and the bullet exploded in its throat along with the flames, setting the beast's mouth and throat ablaze.

The Grimm was confused and in pain with fire burning the inside of its body. It started walking around in some weird attempt to find a way to douse the flames, but all it received was Zelts smashing his shield against it's back foot. The monster was falling to the ground and Remus teleported to where it was going to land. He leaped forward with Romulus as dual swords and quickly attacked the beast. The blue light trail that followed the movement of his attacks showed that his blades went around the long neck of the Grimm. The Jabberwock's neck was sliced open and the blue flames inside spread outside its throat when it fell to the ground lifeless.

The three of them were able to take down the massive Grimm much more effectively than the last time they encountered one of its kind. Remus and Zelts conversed with each other on where they should search for Violet next and Silver jumped off the building to join them, but the battle wasn't over. Out of nowhere, Remus and Zelts were swatted away by a massive tail and smashed into a building. Silver landed on the ground to see the culprit was a second Jabberwock, showing up to finish what its deceased ally started. It gazed at Silver with red eyes and breathed a bolt or red lightning from its mouth directly at Silver. He used Gravity to jump high in the air and avoid the lightning blast then fired another fire dust round at the beast to damage it as well as use the recoil of the shot to propel his extremely light body backwards onto the roof of a building. The Jabberwock used its wings to fly toward Silver and he responded by firing round after round at the Grimm that was unfazed by his fire dust bullets. Their battle wasn't over.

"Dammit. When will this end?" Silver said aloud.

He fired a bullet with ice dust at one of the Jabberwock's wings to freeze it on the spot. Unable to use its wing for flight, the large Grimm fell and crashed into the building he was standing on. Silver used Gravity to jump off the roof and safely land on the ground, but the Grimm was still moving despite a building falling on top of it.

"Seriously. When?"

Remus and Zelts were still inside the building they were knocked into. The tail swipe and collision with the building broke through what remained of Zelts' aura and they were both in considerable pain. Zelts' shoulder was dislocated and Remus was hurt all over his body from taking the full brunt of the tail swipe. Zelts stood to his feet and walked to the nearest wall while Remus picked up Romulus and sauntered over to the hole in the wall they made when they crashed. Zelts slammed his dislocated shoulder against the wall to put it in place. It hurt greatly, but he ignored the pain to resume the fight. Remus stood at the hole where he saw Silver fend for him his life against the Jabberwock and used Checkpoint to enter the battle regardless of his aura levels at their lowest. The feeling was mutual for Zelts as he prepared to join his friends.

The Jabberwock was covered in various things from Silver shooting at him with different dust bullets. Its body had shards of ice, fragments of stone, and smoldering wounds, but the Grimm still fought relentlessly. It flew up into the air to dive down and stomp on top of Silver, but Remus teleported above the Grimm and landed on the Jabberwock's back. He swung both his dual swords and cut off one of the wings in one powerful stroke. The Jabberwock could no longer fly or keep itself in the sky, so it began to plummet to the ground. Remus used Checkpoint to teleport himself to the ground next to Silver then used Checkpoint again to take himself and Silver out of harm's way. He teleported a third time to get Zelts and teleported again to a safe distance, but this action depleted the last of Remus' aura. The Jabberwock finally fell down to the ground and the impact was similar to a small earthquake that shook the area around it. All the buildings in the vicinity began to crumble to the ground and it was unknown if the Jabberwock survived the fall, but Team VRSZ didn't care. They needed to get out of there.

All three of the freelancers were exhausted from this whole invasion. Practically all the Grimm have been exterminated, so travelling was a breeze, though not a pleasurable experience. They were walking at a slower pace than usual because of their injuries, traversing through what remained of Fortuna while feeling sad about its end. Team VRSZ may have won the battle, but the collateral damage outweighed their victory. They couldn't even reminisce about places they've been to because most of the city was unrecognizable thanks to the destruction. Not even their home was safe from chaos. The only thing all of them had now were memories, the desire to find Violet wherever she was, and make it out of here alive together.

"So, where should we look now?" Remus asked his friends. His entire body ringed with pain, but he did his best to ignore it.

"Not sure. She could be anywhere," Zelts answered. His injuries were similar to Remus' except his arm was worse because of the dislocation and his quick fix.

"Even at the airship?" Remus wondered.

"We can check there first and if she's not there, then we could go back to look for her with Bianca and Blood," Silver offered this choice and they agreed. Silver was mostly tired from running around Fortuna and his bruised arm was really annoying him.

"Blood can fly around to search for her better than we can in our current sta-" Zelts stopped talking when he and the others heard familiar loud stomping noises.

"Son of a bitch," Silver moaned because he and the others knew what was coming.

The Jabberwock Remus and Silver fell was still alive and tracked them all down. It got the drop on them all by charging through the remains of a building. The three of them got a good look at how beaten the Jabberwock's body was after their last encounter. The bone plating on the Grimm's face was shattered beyond repair. There were mostly fragments left on its face and the one wing it had left was crooked from the fall. The Jabberwock was definitely on its last legs, but the three freelancers were beyond exhausted at this point. It swung its tail around and hit all of them, knocking Violet's boys further down the road. The attack wasn't life threatening to any of them, but Remus, Silver, and Zelts were still hurt and they were at their wit's end.

They were panting, shaking, and wondering how they were going to get out of this. The Jabberwock offered no reprieve as it charged straight for them with its mouth full of red lightning. Zelts tried to get up to use Conversion to protect everyone, Remus tried to beat the fatigue so he could use Checkpoint to teleport them all away, and Silver was trying to think of a clever way out of this situation. Before the Grimm to unleash its shocking breath, an assailant entered the battlefield and delivered an uppercut to the Jabberwock's chin, changing its attack direction from the boys to the night sky where it let loose a powerful stream of red lightning. Someone else was there, walking on the back of the massive Grimm before jumping to its head. Said person had a lance in hand and dug the blade deep into the beast's skull with enough force to finally kill it. The Jabberwock's body fell to the ground and began to disintegrate into black smoke while Ebony and Blood approached the worn-out team.

"Long time no see, boys," Ebony said with an amused tone.

Zelts didn't know what to make of the situation they were in. Blood and Ebony saved them from the Jabberwock, but did this mean they were safe?

He remembered what Platinum told him and Remus about Ebony. How she revealed Carabosse's plan to take Violet back to her family to the Ravagers. It was a betrayal to her aunt which was good for them, but it didn't mean that Ebony was on their side. She was a real mystery and Blood being with her was just as mysterious. Remus didn't feel the same way. He was relieved to see Blood came to save them and that feeling surpassed his weariness of Ebony, though he may have thought of her as an ally since she tried to foil Carabosse's scheme then rescued them. Silver knew nothing about Ebony since meeting her the first time and he liked her. He felt like they were saved and everything was going to end perfectly.

"Blood!" Remus happily shouted as best he could. "I can't believe it! I thought we were done for! Thanks for the help… and you too, Ebony. It's good to see both of you."

"Mm-hmm. Hello love," Ebony said to Remus with enchanted eyes. She still found him to be her favorite and his chipper attitude despite the situation made it even better for her.

"…" Blood didn't respond. He just looked at his friend with sorrowful eyes.

"Blood?" Remus said, feeling a little confused about Blood not acknowledging them.

Zelts felt it in the air. Something was definitely wrong with this situation. He even noticed blood stains on Ebony's blade and wondered what did she do when they weren't around. Unlike Remus, who was still trying to figure out what was happening, Silver understood the situation just like Zelts. They weren't out of the woods yet. Silver used what little strength he had left to reach for one of Fenrir, but Ebony noticed and quickly grabbed the mechanical scabbard of her sword. Without the blade inside, it transformed into a rifle and she fired it using one hand, shooting Fenrir out of Silver's hand and slightly injuring him in the process. Silver clutched his hand close while Fenrir was on the ground behind him.

"What's going on? What are you doing?" Remus asked Ebony with a pitiful expression. He was unable to comprehend someone he thought of as a friend act this way and it showed in his face which melted Ebony's heart. The different expressions he held delighted her greatly, confirming to herself that he really was her favorite.

"I'm so sorry cutie, but there are things that need to be done and I can't have you guys in the way right now. I can't have Aunt Cara's work breaking you guys because it would break my heart. Hope you boys can forgive us for being a little rough," she said using Charm to persuade them to her side. The boys were beginning to feel she was doing this to protect them.

"Us?" Zelts wondered aloud.

"Ash, to arms," Ebony commanded and Blood immediately flew towards them. He reeled his fist back then threw a punch right into Remus' forlorn face. Then everything went black.

The battle was over in an instant. Remus, Silver, and Zelts were scattered throughout the area, beaten badly by Blood. Silver was slumped against the side of a destroyed building. The bat faunus was holding Zelts up with one hand then dropped him on the ground. He reached down next to Zelts where his Heart of Gold was on the ground as wingblades. Blood picked up one of the wingblades and took it for himself. Ebony stood before Remus who was unconscious and laying spread-eagled on his backside while some building debris was on top of the lower half of his body. Unknown to everyone there, Remus' delta symbol was flashing, meaning he and probably Silver and Zelts were reaching the end of their rope.

In Ebony's hand was Remus' bionic eye which she thought was impressive futuristic tech. _"This thing is incredible. It could be removed and implanted with such ease. Dr. Lupa truly is an Atlesian scientist,"_ she thought to herself.

Ebony looked over at Blood taking one of Zelts' wingblades. "Why not both?"

"The Heart of Gold is a tremendous weapon, but it's large and very heavy. Only someone of tremendous strength is capable of lifting it and using it in battle. It's probably one of the most difficult weapons to master. A testament to Zelts' caliber. One half is all I'll be able to manage," Blood informed Ebony before he started swinging the weapon around to be familiar with it.

"Hmm, half is enough. Can't have my new retainer keep me safe without a weapon," Ebony said playfully before she knelt down. Ebony lifted the back of Remus' head so it was closer to hers.

"I wish I could take all of you home with me, but I have to put business before pleasure at the moment. Sorry handsome."

Ebony leaned in and kissed an unconscious Remus on his cheek for a brief moment before parting. She did the same thing to Silver and Zelts before reaching the youngest member, but unlike Remus, she kissed Silver and Zelts on the lips. She was satisfied with this as she licked her lips for the aftertaste. Ebony looked at Remus with smoldering eyes. "I can't taint your innocence just yet. I can wait until you're eighteen. A kiss on the cheek will have to be enough for the both of us."

"Let's go, Lady Ebony," Blood said, addressing the charming Vantablack in a formal manner. He strapped the wingblade on his back to carry it.

"You got it, good looking. Just one more objective to complete. Let's find Violet and Grayson. I'd like to find them before they kill each other."

Blood flew off with Ebony holding onto his arms as they searched the area for Violet and Grayson. Remus Cobalt, Silver Synch, and Zelts Allister were left where they laid, defeated. None of them were moving at all, leaving them defenseless against anything that could come and attack them. Something did come for them; an airship was flying above their position and began to descend. When the doors to the airship opened, the person that came through was Bianca. She was able to get everyone of them and their weapons into the airship and she piloted the airship out of the area.

Completely unconscious, none of the boys realized they were the only ones in the airship. None of the citizens were on board. Another thing they didn't notice was the airship wasn't just flying out of the area, it was leaving Fortuna altogether.

From the viewpoint of the sky, Fortuna could be seen as nothing more than a city reduced to nothing. All the buildings that once stood tall were reduced to rubble except for Concordia. All the people were either saved or killed by the Grimm along with the prisoners used as decoys. There weren't even any Grimm left in the vicinity. Only a handful of people remained in the destroyed ruins once called Fortuna; Alexandrite and Shiranui remained in Carabosse's airship, Violet and Grayson have reached the climax of their battle, and the new duo of Blood and Ebony who reached their destination and intervened just in time to stop Violet from killing Grayson.

 **Chapter 47: Successor**

* * *

 **Ebony's weapon of choice is called Trois Reines. It is a mechanical, double-edged, arming (knight's) sword with a mechanical scabbard that can function as a rifle and secondary weapon when the blade is removed. The hilt of the blade can be extended to transform the sword into a lance. The grip of the hilt has an open compartment where one could put dust for various effects. The weapon's name is Trois Reines which translates to "Three Queens" in French. It alludes to her weapon having three forms and the three fairy tale princesses that find their Prince Charming (Ebony); Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty.** **Trois Reines is a similar weapon model of Adam Taurus' Wilt and Blush, sacrificing a portion of its raw power for form diversity.**

 **Ebony knows all about the individual pasts of Team VRSZ thanks to Clair's files on them. She knows them well enough that she feels like they're her close friends even if the feeling isn't mutual. Team VRSZ honestly don't know whether Ebony is friend or foe.**

 **Ebony's Charm can also work on people who are asleep or unconscious. She can whisper into their ear suggestions about how to think or what to do and think it was done of their own volition. Creating sleeper agents that don't know they've been manipulated. It makes Ebony's Charm and Carabosse's Somnus a deadly combination.**

 **Blood's full name is Ash Blood. He prefers to be called by his last name because he likes it better than Ash, but Ebony calls him by his first because she likes Ash more than Blood.**


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47: Successor**

 **Setting: Clair's Office**

 **At the End of Chapter 44**

Before the former Lady of Fortuna was the deceased body of her uncle Sterling along with his killer, Grayson. It happened too quickly for her to react. He was gone, sword through the heart so it was done in an instant. Sterling wasn't even given a chance to leave his niece with some parting words. His body laid before her lifeless and it shattered her heart into tiny pieces. Clair de Lune Vantablack, who was always jubilant and constantly smiling in the face of her citizens, was silently crying. Tears clouded her eyes and she fell to her knees at the deceased body of Sterling that was in front of her. The man whom she considered a second father and a pillar of support was gone and she didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.

Grayson slowly pulled his sword out of Sterling's deceased body then flicked the blood off of it. He pulled out the pen sword in his chest and threw it in front of Clair.

"So much for a guardia-" Grayson mocked but stopped when he finally noticed Violet was in the room.

"Oh, hey Vi. I was wondering when you'd show up," he said in a friendly tone.

Clair looked up to see an angry Violet was in her office. She was too consumed with sorrow to notice that Violet was in the room, but thought it was a good thing. Under these circumstances, Clair really needed her best friend by her side, but that didn't last long. Violet didn't seem to register that Clair was in the room and her face was filled with intense rage. The leader of the Freelancers sprinted toward the leader of the Ravagers and tackled him through the window, leaving Clair alone with Sterling's body. She placed her hand on Sterling's cheek and noticed the warmth leaving his body. The solitude didn't last either because Carabosse and Ebony entered her office through the door that led to her bedroom. The malevolent Vantablack had a satisfied look on her face with everything that has happened, especially the death of her obstinate brother. Ebony was quiet about the whole ordeal and observed the situation at hand.

Carabosse extended a hand out to Clair for her to take. "You're coming with me."

"...why…" Clair muttered lowly as she cradled Sterling's head in her lap.

"Hm? What was that dear?" Carabosse asked.

Clair looked up at her with angry, teary eyes and shouted, "What the hell do you want!? Why are you doing this!?"

Ebony noticed neither she nor her aunt were showing any effects of being influenced by Songstress. Clair was angry but she was clearly looking for answers. Carabosse chuckled to herself which transitioned into mocking laughter. Clair didn't care about her amusement. She wanted the truth, the reason why her so called aunt went to such great lengths to destroy Fortuna.

"There is no real reason or greater goal for why I did this. It's the same as always, destruction for the sake of destruction," Carabosse answered.

Clair couldn't believe it. Her home was destroyed, her people suffered, her uncle killed all on a whim. She didn't know whether to feel anger, confusion, or disgust. But one thing was certain; Clair truly hated Carabosse Vantablack just like the rest of her family though she was late to the party, too late.

"Whenever I see something that has been taken care of, protected, raised to be this grandiose thing, I have the urge to break it. That's how it's always been with settlements, cities, organizations and so on. Watching how that chaos spreads and affects the world is why I do it and as a Vantablack I have connections to powerful people who can wipe my name from any involvement in exchange for a favor or two. Our family doesn't know it, but we have influence almost everywhere around Remnant, or they are aware and choose not to do whatever they want with their power, but not me. I simply like to make things fall apart, watch them be built back up, then break them again. Nothing more, nothing less," Carabosse explained with a satisfied expression.

"So, Fortuna was nothing to you. It was just another place you wished to ruin," Clair stated sternly.

"Mmm… not entirely true. This was more like a project to help hone my craft. The Fall of Beacon, a true masterpiece, created by someone I've never met. That catastrophe was created by a true genius, someone whom I am both infatuated with and jealous of. I wish to cause chaos of that scale and I remembered I have a niece with a city of her own. Fortuna was a stepping stone, nothing more." Hearing her aunt say that about everything she has done so far hurt Violet deeply and made her realize Carabosse was insane.

"There are individuals here whose abilities can be useful to me. They could help me spread mayhem just like Ebony here. The same could be said for you. Join us, it's not like you have a home to return to," Carabosse said.

She activated Somnus to put Clair to sleep in order to take her with no resistance. Clair was under the effect of her semblance, but her willpower was strong. Instead of falling asleep immediately, she started feeling groggy and fought the urge to close her eyes. Carabosse was impressed by her niece's will, but knew it was inevitable. She would be under her sleeping spell soon like all her victims.

"…That's all there is to you? Just destruction because you like it?" Clair asked feeling revolted being related to Carabosse. Her eyelids were getting heavy as she did her best to look at her aunt in the eye.

The malevolent Vantablack chuckled before saying, "Nothing el-"

A sword pierced through Carabosse's body, surprising everyone in the room except one. Carabosse, coughing up blood that filled her throat, tried to turn around to see who did this, but recognized the blade because she has seen it a thousand times. The one stabbing her in the back was Ebony Vantablack who held a blank face when she did it. The sudden turn of events was so surprising that the shock helped Clair fight off Somnus for a little while longer but she delayed the inevitable.

"Ebony? How dare you-" Carabosee coughed up blood then continued in an angry tone, "what is the meaning of this?"

"…There is nothing left for you to teach me, aunt Cara. Our time together ends here," Ebony told her. She pushed her aunt down to the ground with her sword still going through Carabosse's body. Ebony laid Carabosse down on her stomach while kneeling to kept the blade in place.

"Sorry to do this to you aunt Cara, but our goals differ and I doubt you'll let me follow my own path," Ebony said.

"…." Clair didn't know what to say or if she had a voice in this shocking moment.

Carabosse was trying her best to keep her breathing steady and keep her anger in check in order to stay conscious. "You don't get a say. An apprentice does what the master says, obedient-lah!" Ebony twisted the sword inside of Carabosse's body to inflict intense pain.

"I did learn a lot from you, especially your ultimate goal, but the things we want in life clash and it was only a matter of time before this happened. Spreading chaos for your own enjoyment. It's unappealing and not my style."

Ebony twisted her blade again and the pain finally overwhelmed the malevolent Vantablack who was finally silenced before she could say anything. Carabosse Vantablack was dead.

Clair witnessed this and didn't know what to make of this. Ebony betrayed Carabosse and killed her in one movement. The person who led her city to ruin in one night, attacked her people, allowed rogues to run free, and killed her uncle was gone. She felt unfulfilled with the way it ended. After everything Carabosse has done, Clair wanted her to answer for her crimes, but even that was taken from her. All that was left was her cousin and her unknown agenda. What did Ebony Vantablack want?

"…."

"….."

No words were spoken between the two Vantablacks. They didn't know where to begin. Both of their mentors were dead in the room and Ebony was a complete unknown. She didn't know how to explain herself to Clair and Clair didn't know what she could say. Thank you? Who are you? What do you want? She didn't know where to begin.

As if to break the awkward silence between them, Blood flew in from outside and broke through the window. He immediately moved in to attack Ebony with Ceasefire and she reacted by slashing the guns with her sword. Her action cut Silver's original guns to pieces and Blood backed away. He noticed the two dead bodies and instantly stood in front of Clair to shield her from Ebony. He held a fierce gaze against the enemy Vantablack and was ready to attack her whenever he deemed it necessary. Defeating her was one of his priorities as an Enforcer, but his top priority was Clair's well-being.

"Lady Clair, are you uninjured?" he asked while keeping his eyes on Ebony.

"…I-I'm fine, but… Sterling is…" Clair couldn't bring herself to say it as the sorrow filled her heart.

Blood got a good look of the room and noticed one of the dead bodies was indeed Sterling and the other was Carabosse, the woman he only got a glimpse of during this whole ordeal. He didn't know what transpired here, but it didn't place Ebony under a reassuring light. He got into a fighting stance and waited for the right moment to take her down.

"Stand down. I'm not here to fight Clair. This was all my aunt's plan and I was along for the ride," Ebony told them.

She spoke using Charm to get them to listen to her and it worked. Blood did ease up and Clair was having a more difficult time seeing her as an enemy. They were under the influence of Charm, but Charm is influence, not mind control, so Clair was still skeptical of Ebony.

"Why should I believe you?" Clair asked her. "Your obviously not with Carabosse and you said yourself that your goals aren't the same, but that doesn't mean you are an ally. I certainly don't see you as one after everything you _and_ my aunt have done."

"Yes, I have had my part in this and nothing I say will make this better, but I don't care," Ebony said with more base in her throat. She was taking a more authoritative tone as she used her semblance to get out of this without any more complications.

"Aunt Cara was a brilliant person with incredible ambition. At least that's what I thought when she took me in and told me about our family. She told me about disassembling towns and organizations, finding like-minded people to help us, teaching me the ways of politics and manipulation. Originally, I thought she was raising me to be a Vantablack, but I had my suspicions about whether she wanted me to be her successor in the past and today just clarified them."

Ebony did something Carabosse never taught her to do; tell the truth. She didn't do this to justify her actions. She couldn't care less about the destruction of Fortuna, but she needed their sympathy to put her own plans into action. Being truthful with her motives and speaking with Charm made Clair and Blood putty in her hands. Ebony continued with her explanation.

"Destruction for the sake of destruction. Spreading chaos simply because you enjoy it. Carabosse may have seemed like a complex person, but she was just a child who liked breaking her toys. Like I said before, that's not my style. What I want is to be a true Vantablack. Believe it or not, but I knew nothing about my Vantablack as a child. My parents wanted to live a normal life, but that changed when Carabosse found us and told me how we influence the world. I wanted what she offered and I left my parents behind for the pursuit of power."

"She wanted to destroy the world that you wanted to rule," Clair stated, still feeling drowsy from Somnus.

Ebony shook her head in response. "I don't want to rule Remnant. That's such a cliché. I just want to have a position of power in the world. Aunt Cara was my quickest way to reach that goal, but she has proven she didn't want that for me. What I want is to be a true member of the Vantablack family.

Ebony looked back at Carabosse's deceased body then turned back to Clair. "I'm genuinely sorry about Sterling. I didn't know him personally, but I do know he didn't need to die. As a fellow Vantablack, I offer my sincerest apologies."

"…." Clair was silent in the matter about Sterling.

She was still consumed with grief over his untimely end. Blood felt the same, but knew they needed to get out of the city before they can mourn and he was going to make sure Clair gets out. However, because Clair was so consumed in this conversation with her cousin, she forgot about being under the influence of Carabosse's Somnus. The Lady of Fortuna collapsed onto the ground where she was fast asleep with Ebony's apology and motives. Blood turned around to see if Clair was injured in any way but found nothing.

"You know," Ebony says as she has her sword drawn, "if I'm going to have a seat of power, I can't have any blemishes on my past that someone could unearth. So…"

Ebony stepped forward to kill her sleeping cousin and her Enforcer. Blood understood what she meant; no witnesses. He brought his fists up to fight against her and the charming Vantablack simply smiled at his attempt.

"It would be best if you stand aside, handsome. Better to make this clean and quick than long and messy," Ebony told him using Charm.

Blood couldn't believe he was actually going to do what she said. His foot took one step to the side before he stopped himself. The bat faunus took that one step then repositioned himself back between her and Clair. Blood was able to hold off Ebony's Charm with his strength of will, but it's not anything new to the young Vantablack. She knew long exposure to her semblance could wear down anyone no matter how much they resist. That's when an idea sparked in Ebony's mind.

"You know I can't let you two live after seeing all this." She told Blood casually while still using Charm to get what she wants.

"Kill me if you want, but I won't allow you to harm her!" Blood declared with a serious tone. "Keeping her safe is my role as an Enforcer and I will fulfill it. Even if it means giving up my life to protect yours," Blood said with resolve.

"…." Ebony smirked because the conditions were met. "The enforcer wishes to protect his liege no matter the sacrifice. Such dedication is to be commended, but something else has come to mind. How about a compromise?"

"Compromise?" Blood repeated because he wasn't sure where Ebony was going with this.

"As someone who is more reasonable than most, I think we can settle on a deal that satisfies all parties. Here's the deal I'm going to offer; Clair will be able to leave here with no further harm coming to her," Ebony said using Charm to get them to agree with her.

"And in exchange?" Blood asked.

"Ash Blood, you become my retainer," Ebony declared with a smile.

"What!?" Blood said.

"As I said before, your dedication is admirable and it's something that I need in my retainers on my road to power. Having you with me is a good start and with Carabosse gone, it's best to have someone watch my back. What do you say?"

Blood couldn't speak. He was under the influence of Charm which was beginning to see this as a reasonable agreement. Blood thought about just swiftly attacking Ebony to end this, but he didn't know whether Clair would be unharmed in the battle and Charm was putting that thought in the back of his mind. He was considering to take the deal because it seemed like the best option.

"If you take this deal, Ash, I promise Clair will not be harmed any further. All I need is your full cooperation and undying loyalty."

"How do I know you won't attack Clair anyway?" Blood asked.

"You don't, but to make things easier for you I'll add a condition to make things fair. During your time with me, if any of my actions cause Clair any kind of harm, then you are free to leave my service." Ebony extended her arm and offered Blood her hand. "Deal?"

"…" Blood thought about it and thanks to Charm making everything Ebony said seem reasonable, he thought this truly was the best option to keep Clair alive. Most likely believing this would be his last service as one of Clair's Enforcers.

He grabbed Ebony's hand and shook it to show their agreement. "Deal."

Ebony smiled. "Perfect."

'As your new retainer, can I make my first request?" Blood asked.

"Of course, Ash. What kind of liege would I be if I didn't allow my retainers to have their voice?" Ebony said.

"Allow me to take Clair to the airship, please, Lady Ebony," Blood requested formally. He even said Lady Ebony just to please her and it worked. Ebony smiled at him.

"Please allow me to escort Clair to the airship where she'll be safe, as my last duty as her Enforcer."

"Very well Ash, but I'd like to have a word with my cousin before we part. Don't worry"

Ebony transformed her lance back into a sword and put the weapon back in its sheath. She approached the sleeping Clair and knelt down. She placed her hand on Clair's head and rubbed it affectionately.

"I'm sorry about everything that has happened. If I had it my way, I would've liked to speak with you about being what it means to be a Vantablack, but life doesn't work that way. Carabosse was dead set on destroying this place and I had no say in the matter. Saying this now doesn't excuse my actions, but remember this; I am not your enemy. My actions, while rash and forceful, were to give myself a stepping stone in our family business. You may not see it that way now, but you'll understand soon enough. In a way, we do understand each other a little. We both know the pain of losing someone we called mentor, but I hope you can honor your uncle's passing by remembering what he taught you just like I will for Aunt Cara. She was insane, but she did teach me a great deal." Ebony told Clair with Charm so her words took root in the sleeping Vantablack's mind.

Blood looked in Ebony's eyes and saw no arrogance, disdain, or pleasure from this incident. Instead, he saw sadness, pain, and pity. He was at a loss with Ebony. Was she friend or foe?

"Best wishes, Clair. Till we meet again." Ebony's final words before Blood picked up Clair. He carried her princess style and flew out of her former office. Ebony knew it would take him quite some time to reach their destination and return back to her, so she decided to take the bodies of Sterling and Caraboose out of Concordia and give them as proper a burial as she could in this situation.

 **Setting: Fortuna**

Blood flew above the rubble and ruined structures that was once Fortuna with Clair in his arms. She was sound asleep and felt almost lifeless in his arms. Her soft snoring was the only indication he had that she was alive and relatively well. Even in sleep, her face was beautiful, but it was also in pain. The events of today were coursing through Clair's mind and it showed. Blood was silent as he flew to the eastern border while glancing at Clair every now and then. She was completely unaware of what he did to save her and he doubted she figure it out anytime soon. Blood wasn't sure what the future held for him, so he tried to help Clair figure out what to do next, even if she couldn't hear him.

"Rebuild," Blood interrupted. "Don't let this be the end for you Clair. No one expects or wants this to make you falter. Do what you have always done and prosper under perilous conditions."

 _"I don't care about that right now. What about you?"_ Blood thought in his mind. He guessed that would be her response.

"I'll be alright. I'm only going to be her retainer and she has promised not to bring you any harm. If she does, then I'll come flying back."

 _"But… not to have you or Sterling by my side after all this… is unnerving. You two have been by my side for so long. I don't know if-"_

"You have been doing this long before I came into the picture and I doubt my absence will change that. Clair de Lune Vantablack has a strong mind, a benevolent soul, and a powerful drive. And I know for a fact that Sterling truly believed that you could do fine without him. He wouldn't have retired working at the Moneta if he didn't feel like you could take care of yourself and the people. He always knew you were able to stand tall, Clair."

Blood believed his reassuring words and expressing Sterling's opinion warmed her heart a great deal if she were awake, especially the latter. With Grayson killing Sterling so quickly, Clair wasn't even given the chance to say goodbye or hear her uncle's final words. That unfulfilling moment probably crushed her. Blood hoped she could find some form of closure once this was all over. She will find peace of mind eventually, but now, she was going to lose one of her Enforcers and had to deal with those emotions first.

It took Blood some time to reach the Eastern border while carrying another person. The blissful moment was over in an instant. Blood finally arrived at the eastern border where Bianca and the airship waited for them. He landed on the ground in front of Bianca and placed the sleeping monarch in her hands. He told Bianca to take her on the airship and leave. She asked Blood what about him and he replied, "Don't worry about me. Just promise me you and the others are there for Clair after all of this."

 _"Goodbye Blood,"_ Clair said in Blood's mind.

"Not goodbye. We will see each other again, even if I'm in Ebony's employ and I doubt this is the last time you'll see your cousin. I'm sure you'll see us at family gatherings," Blood joked then chuckled, completely out of character for him. He did this more to calm himself than put Clair at ease. Bianca wasn't sure if he was talking to her. He wasn't making any sense right now.

"Remember Clair, stay strong." Blood flew through the air. He was heading back to Concordia to rendezvous with his new liege.

Bianca was left baffled with Clair sleeping in her arms. She walked over to the airship to get the former Lady of Fortuna out of harm's way. Bianca felt this was the best thing to do right now. C.P. started the airship before they reached their seats so he could get all the defenseless citizens out of the area.

 **Setting: Open Night Sky**

The two of them boarded the airship. Bianca carefully placed Clair in a seat and she sat next to her. C.P. flew them and what remaining citizens that were lucky enough to get on toward one of Fortuna's allied settlements; Virago. Bianca thought about Blood and wondered what he else he could be doing in Fortun. She guessed that the only thing left for him to do would be to find Team VRSZ. None of them were on the airship when it made several trips in and out of the city during the crisis, so she figured they were still there battling the Ravagers. Bianca decided to let the airship land in Virago then she would drive it go back to Fortuna and search for the members of Team VRSZ. C.P. has been flying this thing for hours and he needed a well deserved break.

 **Setting: Concordia**

Ebony stood in front of Concordia where she waited for her new retainer. A distance away from her were the burial grounds of Sterling and Carabosse Vantablack. With no actual digging tools and the loose sand that was the Vacuo desert, Ebony simply covered their bodies in stones and whatever debris she could find then places to large rocks in front of their graves to serve as tombstones. Now she sat in front of the building where Blood landed to meet her.

"Is it done, Ash?" Ebony asked.

"Yes, Lady Ebony." Blood answered with no sign of anger or spite. He was keeping true to his word about serving her. "What do you do wish to do next?"

"We have to find the Freelancers. Let's go," Ebony said. Blood grabbed hold of her and flew through the air where they searched for any member of the Freelancers, but the bat faunus had a question.

"Team VRSZ? May I ask why?" Blood asked. Unsure what her intentions were with them.

"I wish to keep them safe and return… three of them to my cousin." Her explanation baffled Blood and she could tell, so she continued. "In order to get power, I need the recognition and support of the other members of the Vantablack family, something I can't have that after tonight's events. Carabosse told me that Clair's branch is highly praised with the rest of the family tree and showing that I helped her through this ordeal will put me in a better light. Not to mention putting an end to Carabosse will make me seem like a savior in their eyes. The Freelancers may be neutral, but they are Clair's friends who will no doubt help her get back on her feet, along with a charitable donation made in my name."

Blood understood some of what she was trying to do. With Clair being the only witness the Vantablacks or the rest of Vacuo will take seriously, Ebony is making sure to seem supportive of her cousin so they won't accuse her. He also suspected Ebony was going to pin all the blame on Carabosse which was smart since this was her plan to begin with. The bat faunus could tell Ebony knew how to play the game well. He then remembered Ebony just said she wanted to return three of them.

"If I recall, Violet is fighting Grayson somewhere in Fortuna. I'm sure they're still fighting so we can leave her for last. It's the others I want to find first. Clair is no doubt having someone return for them so let's make this quick."

As she finished her sentence, the two of them hear a building collapsing then a roar. They see a Jabberwock Grimm attacking the three male members of Team VRSZ and they didn't look like they had the strength to fight back. Blood swooped down so he and Ebony could finish their fight for them.

 **Setting: Destroyed Fortuna**

The encounter with Remus, Silver, and Zelts was brief and fun for Ebony, but stressful for Blood. Ebony ordered him to take Zelts' Heart of Gold to use as his weapon while she took Remus' bionic eye for some reason. Blood could only take one half of the shield and he was satisfied with that. He didn't want to leave Zelts without a weapon and planned to return the other half the next time they meet.

 _"It's almost over,"_ he told himself in his mind.

Ebony leaned in and kissed an unconscious Remus on his cheek for a brief moment before parting. She did the same thing to Silver and Zelts before reaching the youngest member, but unlike Remus, she kissed Silver and Zelts on the lips. She was satisfied with this as she licked her lips for the aftertaste. Ebony looked at Remus with smoldering eyes. "I can't taint your innocence just yet. I can wait until you're eighteen. A kiss on the cheek will have to be enough for the both of us."

"Let's go, Lady Ebony," Blood said, addressing the charming Vantablack in a formal manner.

"You got it, good looking. Just one more objective to complete. Take me to Violet and Grayson. I'd like to find them before they kill each other."

Blood flew off with Ebony holding onto his arms as they searched the area for Violet and Grayson. Remus Cobalt, Silver Synch, and Zelts Allister were left where they laid, defeated before Bianca would arrive to take them away.

 **Setting: Destroyed Building**

Violet and Grayson's battle has reached the end. Grayson was laying on his stomach, bleeding from the abdomen and close to dying while Violet slowly trudged her way toward him with a bleeding wound on her face and very close to passing out. She was ready to put him down like the monster he was until Ebony spoke.

"I think that's far enough."

Violet and Grayson turned their heads to see the person intervening on their battle was Ebony with her sword with traces of blood on the blade. Beside her was Blood himself and he was carrying a massive blade, specifically half of Zelts' Heart of Gold. She didn't know what this predicament was anymore.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Violet, but I can't have you two fighting to the death. You both may still prove to be useful," Ebony said using Charm to manipulate her.

"…." Violet didn't want to argue or talk about this with anyone. Time wasn't on her side. She was going in and out consciousness at this very moment and the last things she wants to remember is her knife slicing open Grayson's neck. She ignored Ebony and continued toward Grayson.

"Ash, please collect Grayson for me. I'll take Violet. The airship is close by so we can walk there." Blood walked toward Grayson, easily outpacing Violet in her nearly defeated state. He picked up the leader of the Ravagers and carried him out of Violet's reach and out of the building.

Blood walked past Violet and she turned around to reach out for him, to kill Grayson, but was met with Ebony. The charming Vantablack gazed at Violet with playful, silver eyes while Violet tried to attack her. If they were going to get in her kill way, then she would have to make them step aside. Very lightly, Violet's kukris collided with Ebony's sword which proved to be the last bit of force she could muster. The freelancer collapsed and Ebony caught her. She gently laid Violet on the ground, pulled out a handkerchief from her blazer, then wiped the blood dripping from Violet's face. She cleaned Violet's face, removing most of the blood and showing the cut that would eventually form into a scar.

Ebony smiled as she looked down at Violet, impressed with her indomitable willpower. She was so impressed that it solidified what she was going to do next.

"You truly are amazing," Ebony said to an unconscious Violet, but she said this using Charm so Violet would be aware of how Ebony felt about her. "Along with my cousin, you might be one of the few people in this world that have captivated my interests. I'm the one who actually found you two charming. Don't think light about what I just said."

Ebony simply placed her blood-stained handkerchief on top of Violet's face as she picked her up, making it look like she was carrying a corpse. Ebony carried Violet, princess style, out of the building toward her airship. She felt satisfied that things were going her way. Ebony looked down at Violet as they walked and spoke to her again, but this time didn't use Charm.

"I need the Freelancers- no, I need Team VRSZ to support my cousin as she works her way back up. I know she can do it. We're both heirs of the Vantablack family after all, well, her more than me, but I digress. She will make a comeback, but I need time set up my own foothold which is where you come in Violet… or should I call you Alyssa Underland? This part of the plan belonged to Aunt Cara, but she wanted to do it to ruin your life. I want to do it to give myself more prep time. Your boys will certainly come for you, but not any time soon so think of this as a vacation. It's time for you to leave this fantasy, wonderland life you made for yourself as Violet Tulipe and return to reality as Alyssa Underland."

Ebony finally made it to her airship where Blood and the other Ravagers were waiting for her. They probably wanted to kill Violet once she got on board and Ebony was aware of their plan to take over Fortuna once this was all over. She promised herself to keep Violet safe from them. Ebony planned to keep negotiate Violet's safety for Grayson to receive immediate medical treatment. If his cohorts refused, then that's what Blood and Charm are for. They could have Fortuna. Ebony couldn't care less about the place. There was nothing left there for anyone. The only thing is silver-eyed Vantablack wanted was her place at the table and she planed on getting it.

"It's for you to return to your family in Atlas."

The sun finally began to rise into the sky, but there was no city to greet it. There was no life, structures, or even any Grimm. All that was left were ruins of a once prosperous city. In a span of eight hours, underneath the moonlit night, Fortuna was no more and neither were the Freelancers.

* * *

 **Everybody Knows by Sia:** The most appropriate song for the conclusion of the Battle of Fortuna. It's pretty much how I felt throughout writing all of this.

* * *

 **The Battle of Fortuna Report**

 **Team VRSZ**

Violet Tulipe: Incapacitated/Whereabouts Unknown

Remus Cobalt: Incapacitated/Injured/Missing Bionic Eye

Silver Synch: Incapacitated/Injured

Zelts Allister: Incapaitated/Injured/Missing Half of Heart of Gold

 **Clair & Team BASG**

Clair de Lune Vanatblack: Safe/In Mourning

Bianca: Safe

Ash Blood: Defected

Ghost: Injured/Safe

 **Grayson's Ravagers**

Grayson: Incapacitated/Critically Injured

Alexandrite: Injured/Safe

Shiranui: Safe

Platinum: Deceased

 **Team CLSH**

Cerise Sanguine: Safe

Loden Take: Slightly Injured/Safe

Sapphire Vellum: Slightly Injured/Safe

Hazel Vespid: Safe

 **Vantablack Family**

Copper Periwinkle Vantablack: Safe

Onyx Vantablack: Safe

Sterling Vantablack: Deceased

Carabosse Vantablack: Deceased

Ebony Vantablack: Safe

 **Citizens: 45% Escaped/ 55%** **Dead**

 **Prisoners: 30% Escaped/ 70% Dead**

 **City Damage: 99%**


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48: The Aftermath Part 1**

A week passed since Fortuna's end and nothing was known to the world yet. The isolated incident didn't reach the notice of anyone outside Fortuna. The information about the tragedy has begun to spread thanks to Ebony Vantablack. With Caraboose's passing, Ebony became the sole successor of everything in her possession, including her contacts and connections. She was able manipulate the flow of information about the incident. Word reached throughout Vacuo and Ebony's lies became fact. The battle that took place in Fortuna would not be mentioned as a catastrophe or moment in Vacuo's history thanks to Carabosse's influence with some of the Vacuo Kingdom higher-ups.

Instead, the tragedy that took place in Fortuna would be known as nothing more than a turf war between two mercenary groups; Freelancers vs. Ravagers with the entire city as the battlefield and the destruction was considered collateral damage. No justice will be sought for the destruction of Fortuna. It may have been a prosperous city, but it was still considered a settlement in Vacuo, one of the longest lasting settlements, but a settlement none the less. It's known throughout Vacuo that all settlements come and go with the shifting sands. Fortuna was no different.

This was the information Carabosse originally planned to release and Ebony carried out her late aunt's scheme, including some more info about other events that took place. She also added that the victors of the battle were the Ravagers. They claimed what ruined territory of Fortuna and made it their new base of operations. Their victory in the battle solidified the rivalry with the mercenary world viewing the Ravagers as superior to the Freelancers and it didn't help that the latter has disappeared from Vacuo. The whereabouts of the Freelancers were unknown and clients trying to contact them were meet with silence.

The incident reached the ears of the Vantablack family and none of them could get in tuch of Clair or Sterling. Instead, it was Ebony who made contact with them and told them everything. She used Charm while communicating via scroll and had them eating out of the palm of her hand. She told them how she was a Vantablack as well, one that was an apprentice to Carabosse. She told them how the destruction of Fortuna was all her aunt's doing and how she was an unwilling participant. Ebony explained how Carabosse anarchistic ways were inspired by the Fall of Beacon and how she planned to let Clair and Sterling die for her amusement. She told them Carabosse killed Sterling and tried to do the same to Clair, but Ebony told them that she intervened to protect her cousin. She lied to them, telling the Vantacblacks that she engaged her aunt in combat to protect Clair and the conflict ended with Carabosse's passing.

Ebony was able to get them to believe every word she said thanks to her natural charm and her semblance. There were several members of the family that wanted to support Clair financially once they got in contact with her and others that wanted to speak with Ebony in person. Ebony said she was willing to meet the other members of her family and discuss how to get place at the table. Though she told them they would have to wait until she finished some quick, personal business in Atlas. The several members that wanted to support Clair asked Ebony if she knew where she was. Ebony answered their question with one word; Virago.

 **Setting: Virago**

The people of Fortuna were scattered all throughout Vacuo, residing in the settlements and towns the airship dropped them off during the attack. Whatever they chose to do now was up to them. They had no home to return to. Clair along with her family, Enforcers, and Team CLSH took refuge in the allied settlement of Virago. Saffron, the monarch of Virago, gave them and the former citizens sanctuary until they could find better arrangements. As a close ally and friend to Clair, Saffron allowed the men some leeway in Virago which is famous for being a settlement where women called all the shots and men were next to subservient. This was a rather unpopular decision among Saffron's people, but as leader of Virago, her word was law. Most of the former citizens, mostly men, left Virago in hopes of finding better circumstances. Many of them went to the kingdom of Vacuo since that was the only livable place in Vacuo that wouldn't be run into the ground. Some of the women really enjoyed Virago and decided to make this their new home.

Bianca was walking through the village to acquire food and supplies for herself and the others. She needed to do this for Clair more than anything. Bianca used whatever Lien she had left to buy food at the market and things like a comb and other items before walking back to the tents being used as their temporary residence. Virago had many tents pitched up by people who used them as their home. Saffron provided some tents of her own for Clair and her people to use for however long they need. Ghost had his own tent, Team CLSH shared one among themselves, Onyx and C.P. had one together, and Bianca shared one with Clair. The female enforcer entered the tent to see Clair, sitting on her hammock in her nightgown, long black hair in disarray, an extremely depressed look on her face and red eyes from crying.

Clair was in a state of depression, mourning over the death of uncle Sterling. She was also unaware of the whereabouts of Blood and Violet. The last few things she can recall was Grayson killing Sterling, Ebony killing Carabosse, Blood intervening, and Ebony telling her she's sorry. Everything else was a blur and it killed her. Her uncle was dead and her best friend and enforcer were M.I.A, all while she couldn't do a thing to help any of them. It made her feel so useless. During her time in Virago, she stayed in her tent in complete isolation. It pained Bianca to see her liege in such a state.

"…Lady Clair… I'm back," Bianca said to alert Clair she was in the tent.

"….." Clair said nothing to her. She didn't budge at all from her side of the tent.

"…. I brought you some food and some other stuff. I also got a comb. Maybe you could let me comb your hair like we used to? It always put a smile on your face."

"…." Clair remained silent and Bianca simply walked to her. She sat on the hammock, sitting behind Clair, and started coming her hair.

Doing something so familiar made Bianca feel much better about the current circumstances. Clair was unresponsive on the outside and her feelings on the inside were unreadable. Bianca continued to brush her hair to bring something out of her or at least make her more presentable to any possible guests. This lasted for several minutes until someone entered the tent. Bianca turned to see it was her brother that entered. Ghost walked in and stood before his sister and liege. Clair responded by turning her gaze to him. It wasn't much, but she did move even if it was just her eyes. Bianca and Ghost were fortunate for just that.

"Hey Ghost. Anything new to report?" Bianca asked for Clair.

"I spoke with Team VRSZ about what happened in Fortuna. It's still not completely clear," Ghost answered.

"Did they see anything important?"

"They saw Blood," Ghost said and Clair actually turned her head to him, something that surprised the two half siblings, "and… he was with Ebony and he attacked them."

"That doesn't make sense," Bianca said, feeling slightly confused.

"That's what they said, but they also mentioned Ebony saying she needed them to be defeated so Carabosse's work wouldn't harm them any further. So, Ebony's motives are still unknown and I guess Blood is with her, buy why?" Bianca wondered.

The only thing they can be certain of is that Blood was alive, but he was with Ebony now, and they weren't certain that Ebony was an antagonist. Was she an enemy or a victim dragged along by Carabosse? The only person that knew the answer they were searching for was Ebony herself.

"…." Clair didn't say anything, but deep down she was relieved. Blood was alive, he was okay. This meant Violet was the only person they didn't know anything about, not even her teammates.

"The freela- I mean, Team VRSZ are putting their jobs as Freelancers on ice until they receive concrete information about Violet. They actually plan to leave Virago to search for her themselves in a day or two," Ghost said.

"Really…" Bianca didn't know how to feel about their next move.

She'd like for them to stay and help her support Clair. She would also like for Silver to stay with her, but knew that finding anything about Violet was very important to them. Bianca knew Team VRSZ had to look for her just like how she and her brother needed to be with Clair.

Ghost finished informing his sister and liege about current events and eyed Clair for anything else. She didn't react any further. Not seeing what else he could do, Ghost excused himself out of the tent where Bianca continued to comb Clair's hair. She knew where her brother was going. He was going to see Sapphire while he still had the time.

 **Setting: Team CLSH's Tent**

Everything was changing in such a short span of time. Even Team CLSH were going to leave Virago in after today. They were only young girls that just lost their homes and the only option they had left was to take refuge in the kingdom of Vacuo. The kingdom's academy was willing to take them in as students where they will complete their huntress training. Their experience in Fortuna's academy would be contributed to the academy so they wouldn't have to start at the very beginning. They were all taking it differently.

Cerise was mostly sad about this because it meant she and her team couldn't see Team VRSZ again. She believed Violet was alive and somewhere out there. The leader of Team CLSH wanted to be there when the leader of Team VRSZ returned, but now had to settle with meeting her whenever the two could meet again. When Cerise told herself when she meets Violet again, it'll be when she became a huntress. There was another side of her that wanted to face Violet in combat to show off the future fruits of her future labor.

Loden was taking this better than the others. She was much more stable emotionally about all this and thinking rationally. She was acting like Zelts though she was actually fine. Loden didn't want to be separated from the others, but knew they could handle themselves. Loden could admit she and her teammates are still children that need proper protection in Vacuo and the academy was the most suitable place to serve as their new home. She felt unnerved about not receiving training from Team VRSZ anymore, but also felt excitement at the thought of testing her mettle against students from an actual academy.

Sapphire was mostly upset that she had to be separated from Ghost. Neither of them knew if their relationship was going to end or just put on hold. Whatever status it was, they wouldn't be able to see one another for a very long time or ever again. Ghost didn't show it but this troubled him too. He would never admit it to anyone no matter how much they tried to pry that he deeply cared about Sapphire. Ghost wasn't the type to express how he felt through words, only in action and Sapphire knew that too well. Sapphire was sort of the same as Ghost in a way. Neither of them were the lovey-dovey type, but they understood each other very well. The two of them would definitely meet again before parting.

Hazel understood their predicament and was sad to leave so many people behind. She was also very nervous about going to a new academy, especially about meeting new people. Her bee wings may have ripped off and she may look human, but Hazel was scared of people finding out she was a faunus. Vacuo was the most liberal kingdom when it came to humans and faunus living together, but there were still people that loathed the faunus. She has her friends with her and she has grown much more confident, but she was still wary of those type of people and planned to fight back if necessary.

The tent the girls were living in could fit all four of them, but it wasn't comfortable when they were all in the tent together. Hazel was at a weapon's refinery where she could repair her Hive drones, Loden was outside her tent, training under the sun in order to prepare for Vacuo's academy. Cerise was at Team VRSZ's tent where she tried to cheer Remus out of his funk and have some closure about parting ways with her favorite team. The only one in the tent right now was Sapphire who was laying in her hammock, looking up at the tent's ceiling and thinking of nothing. Her head was blank until she heard the sound of footsteps. She looked over to see Ghost walk in with a slightly sad expression. The two of them knew this would be the last time they'd be with one another so they spent in each other's company. They didn't do anything considered romantic, just talked and cuddled. The closeness was enough to fill the fleeting time.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ's Tent**

The three members of VRSZ were taking refuge in Virago as well, licking their wounds after being soundly defeated in Fortuna. The three of them were very solemn about the events and it showed in their behavior. Zelts was the more talkative of the three which was surprising considering Silver was the chatty guy of the team. He was gravely worried about Violet and wondered what happened to his Heart of Gold, but he tried to hide his sadness by putting on a fake smile, though everyone could tell it was forced. Zelts did this because the team needed someone in a better state of mind and he knew it wasn't going to be Remus or Silver.

Silver was angry more than anything else. His temper stemmed from losing his home to the Ravagers and losing Violet. His reasons were obvious, but it was still eating him up inside. Ghost tried to see if he could cheer him up and they did hang out, but Silver was being the brooding downer of the two which was an achievement because Ghost of all people was with him.

Remus was probably hit the hardest by this turn of events. He secluded himself inside the tent much like Clair and his disposition was similar too. Not only did he lose his leader and friend, but he lost his bionic eye in the process. He was left with one eye, but to him that wasn't the worst part of all this. It was the fact that Blood attacked them out of nowhere. Remus took Blood's betrayal harder than the rest because he was a close friend. He was mostly quiet, but he responded when people talked to him though he responded with a little firmness in his voice. It was obvious that the experience changed him.

Cerise was in their tent with Remus. He had some cloth wrapped around his head to cover his eye socket. Remus' face was rather serious which was totally out of character for him. Cerise was with him hoping to cheer him up in some way before she had to leave. She understood why he was upset, but she wanted to do something to make him feel better. Luckily, he wasn't being difficult or stubborn. Remus was kind of sad.

"So, we're going to be going to the kingdom of Vacuo soon," Cerise told Remus.

He looked at her with his one eye and a sad expression then turned away. "Are you…excited about going to the kingdom's academy?" he asked in an attempt to create conversation. He knew they were leaving soon and didn't want to part on a silent note.

"Yeah. It's really something. Loden has been training non-stop once we got the news. Though it's still kind of nerve racking. I know we're good, but I still wonder how we'll do compared to actual huntsmen in training."

"You guys will do fine. All of you have leveled up a lot. You'll be huntresses in no time," Remus encouraged though his monotone voice made it have less of an impact but Cerise was grateful for his support.

"Thanks. And I know you and the others will find Violet soon. I doubt she died in Fortuna," Cerise said then walked over to Remus.

"I know she didn't die in Fortuna. We have a good guess about where she might be," Remus answered. "We're going to try to look there, but we have to make a detour before then."

"Really? Where?" Cerise asked with wrapped intrigue.

 **Setting: Clair & Bianca's Tent**

Bianca was still combing Clair's hair which was looking much better than it was before. It was the same majestic, flowing river of black that it used to be, but it was much better than before. Bianca noticed that Clair's scroll was vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out and checked Clair's notifications. She had a large number of missed calls and texts from family members. They were expressing their concerns. Clair put her scroll on silent, ignoring them all which seemed to only increase the number of texts and missed calls. Her family was worried about her well-being and so was Bianca.

The enforcer stopped combing and looked through all of them. They were offering words of sympathy, condolences on Fortuna's end and Sterling's passing, and actual money to help her get back on her feet. They were offering checks for Clair to cash in and use for whatever she needed, but Clair was disregarding to squabble in her own sadness. Bianca needed to find a way to get Clair out of her funk.

"I was wondering why you weren't answering my calls, Clair. I was worried sick."

Clair and Bianca turned to see the person who spoke was someone neither of them were expecting. The person who entered their shared tent was Evergreen, a singer on the rise as well as Clair's longtime friend and girlfriend. Evergreen visiting was a big surprise especially since she was currently on tour in Vacuo. Bianca had to guess she put it on hold after hearing what happened in Fortuna. Clair actually turned her head and that didn't go unnoticed by Bianca. She realized Evergreen might be the best person to help Clair. She got up from Clair's hammock and walked to the entrance of the tent.

"I'll leave you two alone," Bianca said before leaving.

Evergreen walked over to Clair and the first thing she did was kiss Clair on the forehead. She sat on the hammock beside her and started talking. "I was worried sick about you. You didn't return any of my texts so I had to come see you myself."

"...D" Clair muttered.

"Hmm?"

"Did you…cancel your tour to see me?" Clair asked, finally speaking after several days. She almost forgot the sound of her own voice.

"It's on hold for now. I sent a video to my fans saying someone dear to my heart needed me to be with her. My actions were met with praise and criticisms but I don't care. You're more important. Now tell me everything," Evergreen said with loving concern.

 **Setting: Team VRSZ's Tent**

Some time has passed since Cerise was in the tent talking to Remus and she left to see if Hazel could rebuild her Hive drones. Remus didn't leave the tent since then, but Silver and Zelts walked into the tent. Remus turned around with a softer look on his face than he had before, showing his talk with Cerise ended on a high note.

"Hey guys," Remus said.

"Feeling better?" Zelts asked with concern.

"Uh-huh," Remus answered.

The two of them entered the tent and Silver tossed something at Remus. It landed in Remus' lap on he noticed it was some kind of belt, but it didn't look like a belt that goes around his waist. It also seemed to have some kind of sheath.

"It's a shoulder belt, or a baldric if you want to get archaic about it. Zelts thought you could use this to carry Romulus around instead of through your belt loop. We also got it to cheer you up about Violet being gone. What do you say?" Silver said, adding a sing-song tone to the question at the end.

"Thanks guys… I'm not upset about Violet being gone. We're going to find her, but the thing that's been bothering me is…"

"Blood," Zelts answered for him.

"Yeah," Remus answered. Outside of Team VRSZ, Blood was one of Remus' closest friend. He hailed from the same village as Remus so there was a special kinship between them. And the fact that Blood attacked them was a massive blow to Remus. He felt deeply hurt and betrayed which showed in his actions and behavior.

"We'll get to the bottom of that too," Zelts reassured, "there's got to be more to Blood's actions."

"Right," Remus said with conviction. "Is everything ready?"

"Pretty much," Silver answered, "we'll be leaving soon."

"Team CLSH is heading to the kingdom tomorrow morning, so I think it's best if we leave the day after or maybe longer. I don't want Clair to feel like she's losing everyone, especially when she's in such a fragile state," Zelts said.

"Sounds like a plan. I'm actually surprised you're doing better than us since you lost the other half of Heart of Gold," Silver commented.

"The weapon doesn't make the man and I think I might find the other half someday."

"What makes you so sure?" Silver asked.

"Just a hunch. This weapon has been with me for so long that I can feel a bond. Besides, that thing is durable enough to withstand almost anything. It's only a matter of time."

"Such confidence," Silver said.

"…" Remus was staring at Silver intensely with his one eye.

"What?" Silver asked, though he had an idea why Remus was staring and hoped he wouldn't mention it.

"Your hair," Remus started and Silver cursed to himself, "why is your black hair spiky like your silver streak?"

Zelts began to snicker and Silver glared at him. Silver's black hair was usually in a slick back style, but that wasn't natural. He used hair gel to keep it that way, but with the destruction of their home and no access to his gel, Silver's black hair was as spiky as his silver streak right now. He looked like a main character in a comic and it made Zelts laugh. Silver didn't like this look, but it made others laugh and it helped lighten the mood.

"Shut up, Remus," Silver retorted.

Remus looked at his friend confused and Zelts was laughing without caring if Silver heard. This was the first genuine moment they had where the atmosphere wasn't serious or sad. The team needed more moments like this. Remus was feeling a little better and it brought him to ask another question.

"What's our next move?"

"Zelts talked with our substitute over the phone. She said she'll be in Vacuo and meet us at the designated rendezvous point in a few days. She said it'll be easier for her to reach us then vice versa," Silver answered.

"We have a day or two left here, so let's use them to say goodbye for now. We won't know when we'll be back in Vacuo," Zelts said. "…It's not going to be easy, but remember that we're going to come back."

"Yeah," Silver said, though he was thinking about what he was going to say to Bianca and Ghost.

"Next time we return, it'll be with Violet," Zelts stated.

"Silver, are you going to do something about your hai-"

"Shut up, Remus!" Silver interrupted Remus and it made Zelts laugh even more.

 **Setting: Clair's Tent**

"I see," Evergreen said once Clair finished explaining what happened in Fortuna, "that is very unfortunate. I can't imagine what you're going through and I won't lie in saying the pain will fade away, Sterling especially, losing someone so close is never easy."

"…" Clair sat next to Evergreen in silence.

"I remember how nice he was when we were kids and I'm sure he was like that as the years went by. Sterling always gave good advice, supported people who doubted themselves, and picked them up when they were down. I'm not like that," Evergreen stated.

She got of the hammock, knelt before Clair, placed her hands on the Vantablack's shoulder, and looked her in the eyes.

"I'm not the type of person who will sit her a start a preaching about how things will eventually get better and time heals all wounds. Sterling would be better equipped for these kinds of moments, but I already know what he would say; Move forward."

"…"

"Sterling died protecting you because he loves you and he knew that you could move past this. He knew his niece would rise from the ashes and start anew. Sterling might not be here to aid you, but I'm certain that he wouldn't want you to be wallowing like this forever and he's not the only one. You have friends and family that are waiting for you to get back on your feet so they can support you. Fortuna may be gone, but that doesn't mean it's the end for you. Create something better, try something new or do whatever. It's your life and everyone who loves you will support you, myself included."

Evergreen leaned in and kissed Clair affectionately on the forehead. The singer locked eyes with the former monarch to see how she'd respond. Clair was looking at her, listening to what Evergreen just said. Losing Sterling left a large wound in her heart, that was very true, but Evergreen was right. She still had others around her who were still alive, still here to support her for whatever reason and whenever she needed it. Clair knew Sterling better than anyone, but felt like Evergreen got some points right about him. He'd be disappointed in his niece if she remained like this all her life and he'd want her to keep reaching for greater heights. The two of them weren't able to have any final or parting words, but Clair believed there was nothing else for Sterling to say to her. He taught her everything she needed to live as a Vantablack. Clair understood that she needed to grieve, but felt quite foolish for letting it last this long and to be lectured out of it like a child.

For the first time in days, Clair smiled. She held a very small smile on her face when she looked Evergreen's face. She also felt herself tearing up before she wiped her eyes with her arm. Evergreen was happy to see that Clair was moving again and the two reached out to hug one another.

"There's my Moonlight," Evergreen said.

"Sorry you had to see me in such a state, Ever," Clair said with a light chuckle.

"I completely understand. Just let everyone know you're feeling better, especially Bianca. She was trying so hard before I showed up."

"Right, I have to do something special for her. She has always been in my corner no matter what, just like Sterling. Well then, should we go and let everyone know I'm feeling better?" Clair asked, but the playfulness in her voice said otherwise.

"Hmm, I don't know. It's just the two of us right now and I doubt anyone's going to disturb us while I try to raise your spirits. Not to mention it's been a long time since the last time we saw each other. Let's make it count before we go outside," Evergreen said before planting a kiss on Clair and she kissed her back.

"Hey Clair. I wanted to see how you were-" Ghost stopped midway when he peeked through the tent's door to see the two woman making out on the hammock. He didn't say anything, he didn't stay to watch, Ghost silently ducked out and closed the tent behind him. Since the entrance to the tent was a zip-up flap and didn't have a knob, he couldn't place a sock or anything on the door to tell others not to enter. Ghost quietly left in silence, hoping anyone else who stumbles upon the couple act with digression.

The end of Fortuna was a devastating blow, though it wasn't a fatal one. Carabosse may have been able to destroy the city, but the young woman that ruled it didn't break or cave in to depression. The Lady of Fortuna was gone, but Clair de Lune Vantablack was still here and she was ready to make a comeback. What will she come up with next after the glorious desert city of Fortuna?


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49: The Aftermath Part 2**

 **Setting: Ruins of Fortuna**

In the large, destroyed wasteland that used to be Fortuna, there were hardly any signs of life. The flourishing settlement that could've rivaled the kingdom of Vacuo was gone in the span of a single night. The people responsible were Carabosse Vantablack, who died in the invasion, and the Ravagers, who went along with her plan to kill Team VRSZ and take Fortuna as their new stronghold. They only achieved one of those goals.

Inside one of the destroyed buildings was a large, beaten metal door with a combination keypad. Entering the building was the fox faunus Shiranui using his lantern whip to light the dark area. He held the lantern at the end of the whip close to him so he could see what was in front of him as he walked through the building. He finally came face to face with the metal door. Shiranui observed the door, taking note of the combination keypad, then came to his conclusion.

 _"Hmm, this thing probably isn't powered by electricity anymore, but it's closed shut. Perfect. I could find a way to open this door no problem, but that will take and_ -" Shiranui's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone stomping into the room.

Standing next to Shiranui was the bedazzled behemoth of the Ravagers, Alexandrite. She was coated in green crystals to serve as armor to protect her body. She was badly injured after the invasion so she used her semblance to grow and encased the parts of her body that were still sore in crystal to serve as protective casts until they fully healed. Shiranui forgot the two of them were scavenging through what remained of Fortuna for treasure as a duo. He forgot she was with him when they started. He was an explorer as well as a tactician and his explorer side got the better of him, but now it was his cunning mind that started to show.

"There might be something behind this big door. Alexandrite, can you take it down? Or are you too injured and fragile to attempt it right now?" he asked, purposely provoking her to do what he wanted.

Alexandrite was a former warrior from Virago. Female warriors from Virago were famous in Vacuo for being strong and fierce. Hearing Shiranui call her weak and fragile was a massive blow to her pride.

"I'm not some weak little girl that can't do anything on her own. Stand back and watch, little man," Alexandrite stated vehemently while she got ready to prove her mettle.

She covered her entire upper body in green crystal armor that made her look like an emerald knight. She squatted down then charged straight for the door. Alexandrite collided with her target and her strength allowed her to knock the door down with relative ease. It fell into the room it was guarding and Alexandrite walked over it with a triumphant smile, though she was hiding the fact that her sore shoulders were stinging from the impact. Shiranui entered the room as well and stood next to his comrade.

"Impressive," he complimented before bring his lantern up to brighten the room with its white blue light.

The illuminated room showed that it held thousands of Lien stacked orderly on multiple shelves along with other valuables. All these items were categorized and shelved in order. Included in this assortment of valuables was all the Lien Team VRSZ received from their jobs as Freelancers.

"Jackpot," Alexandrite said with her eyes changing from green to purplish-red.

"Looks like we found the city's bank. Grayson will be glad to hear about this. We'll be set for life," Shiranui stated.

"He will once he's out of Ebony's medical care. For now, let's keep searching around this dump of a city for more stuff," Alexandrite said before leaving the room.

Shiranui walked out the bank with her then pulled out his scroll. He marked the location of the bank on his scroll so he'd remember where to find it among the rubble. The two of them continued to search through the remains of Fortuna like vultures while Grayson was temporarily out of commission.

The battle between Grayson and Violet left the two of them injured, but Grayson was wounded more than Violet. He was close to dying would have if Ebony didn't intervene and paid for his medical care. He was currently at an underground hospital where they do several illegal practices, but Ebony paid them to simply stitch up his wound and help Grayson recuperate until he was good enough to move on his own. Grayson's Vitality was a semblance that lengthened his survival so he recovered quicker than normal people. The wound Violet dealt would leave a large scar on his body not to mention a massive blow to his pride. Ebony informed him that Violet would no longer be any concern of his and that left Grayson with an unsatisfied feeling. Despite getting Fortuna in the end, Grayson always wanted to be the one who ended Violet's life.

Grayson was at a hidden location for his recovery and was currently resting on a makeshift bed. He was sleeping soundly with his head filled with plans for Fortuna. Alexandrite and Shiranui are currently finding all the valuables they could use for the Ravagers then planned to open the city for others to come. Fortuna was gone and Grayson was going to build his own personal kingdom from the remains.

 **Setting: Virago**

It was a new day in Virago and it was the day that Team CLSH was going to the kingdom of Vacuo to be students at Shade Academy. The team of young girls were both excited and nervous about the sudden change in their lives. Going to an official Huntsmen Academy was a big deal that many children from Vacuo don't have the opportunity to experience. The misfortune that befell them turned into a blessing, but it came at a large cost; Team CLSH had to part with all the friends they made in Fortuna.

The airship that was taking them to the kingdom was stationed outside Virago's borders and the team was their along with their friends to wish them luck. The members of Team VRSZ were there, except for a missing Violet. Ghost and Bianca were there to watch them go, especially Ghost to bid Sapphire farewell. Onyx did the same for Hazel, though whether she was aware of her fellow faunus' infatuation was unknown. C.P. was there as well, but it wasn't to say goodbye. Throughout his time in Virago, he has been hitting on all the women residing in the settlement and has been meet with either rejections over physical assault. Despite his string of failures, he kept getting back up and trying again until Saffron personally asked Clair to stop her cousin. Clair kept him within a reasonable distance while she attended Team CLSH's departure and made sure he didn't stray too far. Evergreen was also present, but mostly to be with Clair. She has never met the members of CLSH, but came anyway to support Clair.

The girls stood between the airship and the group of people here to watch them go. None of them knew what to say or where to start, until Clair spoke first. She approached the girls and gave them a reassuring smile.

"Words cannot express how proud I am of you four. To be accepted into Shade Academy is an honor many in Vacuo aren't given. I hope the time you spent in Fortuna and your time training with the members of Team VRSZ has prepared you for the next step in your venture," Clair told them all with warmth and kindness, showing everyone that she was back to her usual self.

The girls were filled with confidence from her words. They never knew Clair on a personal level like Team VRSZ, but someone of her status praising them felt very heartening. Cerise didn't know what to say to the former Lady of Fortuna and she never got the chance. Clair approached Cerise and gave her a kiss on the cheek, leaving the young girl stunned. The doting Vantablack did the same for Sapphire, Loden, and Hazel with each of them sharing the same shocked expression. The members of VRSZ knew how that felt; the stunned expression and blushing faces from Clair's very forthcoming nature. Team VRSZ were next to address the team that were their friends and juniors.

"I'm very proud of all of you," Zelts said with a smile on his face, "each of you has proven to be more than ready to take on whatever Shade Academy throws at you. Cerise, as leader, make sure you have your head on straight at all times. Watch everyone's back, Loden, and Sapphire, don't get too wild out there. Hazel, you've grown so much since we first met and I know you'll continue to grow once you reach Shade. You all will."

Out of all the male members of VRSZ, Zelts was like a real big brother to Team CLSH and they loved him for it. He was always reassuring them in training and gave them fair criticism whenever they asked. His encouragement made each of them well up with pride. The next person to speak was Silver, the silver-tongued gunslinger and no one knew what he was going to say.

He rubbed the back of his next as he took a step forward and said, "You guys are gonna be training to be full-fledged huntresses. That's gonna be a real problem… for us I mean. Our job isn't technically legal and we run into huntsmen from time to time. Everyone knows Shade Academy is the only true law of the land, so they'll probably deploy you to stop scoundrels and stuff. One day, you guys might have to fight us and you all know our playbook so…"

The girls knew what he was saying and they all laughed at him.

"Let's just say if Team VRSZ and Team CLSH, then all of us will go out to eat afterwards, losers buy," Silver said with a cheeky smirk.

"Heh, sure Silver. It's a promise," Cerise told him with a smile.

Remus was originally sad that he was saying goodbye to his friends, but that changed when Silver mentioned they would probably fight some time in the future. The chance of not only meeting them again, but fighting against them made Remus feel excited and he couldn't wait for that to happen.

"Can we really fight?" Remus asked, showing he was putting his farewell on hold until he received confirmation.

Loden chuckled at his attitude and answered his question with, "Of course, Remus. We'll be sure to hold nothing back against you."

Remus could only smile at the prospect of facing the girls again. Any feelings of sadness he experienced vanished in an instant. He technically never said goodbye. "I can't wait! You guys better level up like crazy and be true huntresses next time we see each other."

"It's a promise!" Sapphire said with enthusiasm. She related the most to Remus and his battle-oriented lifestyle than some of his other friends. "Who knows, we might give you guys a run for your money."

"We'll see about that!" Remus said, looking like he was ready for a fight then and there.

During Sapphire and Remus' friendly banter, Hazel walked over to Onyx. The two faunus were friends and fellow gadget experts. Onyx always helped Hazel repair and improve her Hive drones. Much of her success is thanks to the faunus Vantablack and she didn't want to leave without saying goodbye. Onyx has been harboring a crush on the slightly older faunus, but never worked up the nerve to show it. Even now, he was blushing when she approached him and it was much more apparent on his face when Hazel smiled at him.

"Thank you for all your help Onyx. I wouldn't have made it this far without you," Hazel told Onyx. He looked her in the eyes, hoping his red face wouldn't be noticeable but it was.

"Y-yeah, no problem," Onyx said though he only kept eye contact briefly before looking down.

Hazel leaned forward then kissed Onyx's cheek, surprising the young faunus. His black furred, weasel tail shot up and his was paralyzed. The kiss was brief for Hazel, but for Onyx it lasted for an eternity. His reaction was the same as anyone when Clair kissed them. Hazel simply smiled at his dumbfounded expression before walking away.

"I really hope we meet again, Onyx," she said before returning to her team.

Ghost was the last to give his parting words and it was directed toward Sapphire. It was no secret that he would talk to Sapphire before they had to part. The couple has spent a lot of time together in Virago and now the time to separate has finally come. Ghost wasn't one for verbal expression of his feelings, especially in front of people that know him, but he made an exception.

"I'm going to miss you… a lot," Ghost said in a rather sad tone.

"Yeah…" Sapphire said, almost feeling tears well up.

Ghost saw her expression and quickly hugged her, not caring about the public display of affection. Sapphire hugged him back and closed her eyes. This was the closeness that they've been having since hearing Sapphire and her team were leaving. Neither of them knew when they would be able to meet each other again. Everyone silently watched, feeling sorry for the young couple that was forced to part. Sapphire and Ghost finally separated from their hug and the former slowly walked out of his arms. It was time for Team CLSH to board the airship.

"It's time for me to go," Sapphire told Ghost who reluctantly let go of her hands.

The members of Team CLSH boarded the airship and got in their seats. All their friends were there, waving them goodbye as the airship took off. And just like that, Team CLSH left to begin their new lives as Shade Academy students. The group watching looked on as the airship flew through the sky until it flew too far for them to see. None of them knew what to do next. This left an awkward feeling among all of them until Zelts decided to speak.

"Um… Clair," he said to get her attention, "We- the three of us, have a good idea where Violet is and, uh…" he didn't know how to tell her, especially when Team CLSH just left.

"You all will be leaving to find her soon," Clair finished for him in an understanding tone.

"Yeah, sorry," he apologized.

"Don't be. I knew the time will come when you three had to search for our beloved Violet. That's something that takes priority over my poor state of mind these past few days. It will be different without so many of my friends with me, but it won't be like I'm going to be twiddling my fingers waiting for you all to return. I have my own work to do and it'll keep me pretty busy. When do you guys plan on heading out?"

"…Tomorrow," Zelts answered.

"I see. Well, I'll be sure we send you guys off too."

"Thanks. We're going to be spending the rest of today preparing and gearing up, then we'll be leaving tomorrow."

"Go get ready, your leader is waiting," Clair told Zelts. The members of Team VRSZ left to buy all the supplies they needed with whatever Lien they had on them right now.

Clair watched them leave until she felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and checked all the missed calls and texts she received from her family. She remembered Bianca telling her about this, but she hasn't looked at any of them yet. She read several and noticed many of her family members were not only concerned but were offering her considerable amounts of Lien to help her get back on her feet. Clair also noticed there was a text from Ebony, expressing her condolences about Fortuna. Clair didn't know if her cousin was being sincere or not, but she didn't matter right now. It was all the support the Vantablack family that meant so much to Clair.

The entire Vantablack family may not be able to come together for a family reunion like other families, but they always come together in some form when tragedy befalls one of their own. It always reminded Clair that people coming together makes everyone stronger and that sparked an idea into Clair's mind. She had the foundation for her next project, but some things had to be done before then. The first thing she had to do was respond to all her family members and accept their Lien as fast as possible. Their combined effort gave her more than enough Lien for her project and more. She just had to cash it in and do it before Team VRSZ left tomorrow.

 **The Next Day**

 **Setting: Virago**

It was the day after Team CLSH left to begin their new lives at Shade Academy and now it was Team VRSZ's turn to leave. All three boys were prepared to leave Virago to find Violet with what little resources they could buy with what little Lien they had. The only thing they could afford to buy in Virago was Remus' shoulder belt, a large number of bullets for Silver, and a small collection of dust crystals for various uses. It wasn't much, but it was all they had.

Clair offered to take them to their next destination with her airship and they accepted. Remus, Silver, and Zelts walked to the airship where Clair, Bianca, and Ghost were waiting for them. C.P. and Onyx weren't there because they were doing things for their cousin. This wasn't the same as saying goodbye to Team CLSH because Team VRSZ planned to return once their business was done.

"You guys ready to go?" Bianca asked since she was going to be their pilot.

"More than ready," Remus said with strong determination.

"Be safe on your venture and find us as soon as it's over," Clair said to all of them.

She walked to them and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek. This left the boys blushing, but not as stunned as usual. They were truly ready to go find Violet.

"Good luck out there, guys," Ghost said, leaning against the side of the airship.

"What's that? Were those words of encouragement? Coming from Ghost?" Silver joked.

"Just go already," Ghost retorted.

"But before you do, here," Clair said as she gave Zelts a large envelope.

He opened it to see it was a ton of Lien. Silver immediately snatched it from Zelts' hand and started counting. Remus watched on rather impatiently. He was ready to go and search for Violet.

"I cashed in some checks my family gave to me. There was more than enough to go around and I wanted you guys to have some money in case you need it," Clair told them.

"Thank you so much Clair," Zelts accepted, "I don't know how we can repay you."

"Just be sure Team VRSZ comes back as a whole team."

"Deal," Silver said with his eyes fixated on the Lien.

The trio entered the airship and Bianca started the engine. The airship took off with the members of VRSZ flying in it. They were finally off to find Violet. Clair waved them goodbye on the ground while Ghost simply watched them go. Once they were gone, Clair asked Ghost to do something for her.

"Ghost, can you contact all the monarchs and Vacuo settlements that have been long standing allies to Fortuna for me?"

"No problem. You gonna host a meeting or something?" Ghost asked as he looked through the contacts in Clair's scroll.

"Not quite. I'm going to speak with them about playing a part in my next project. It's time we all come together."

 **Setting: Treasure Trove Wharf**

Two hours of flight and the airship carrying the team lands near the coastal settlement known as Treasure Trove Wharf. It was here that the team planned to meet up with their help then find a someone with a ship to take them to Atlas. Before they got off the ship, each of them thanked Bianca and said farewell. Silver stayed behind to kiss her one last time before getting off the airship. Bianca flew off, leaving Remus, Silver, and Zelts to plan their next move.

"Alright, we're here. You guys ready to do this?" Zelts asked just to confirm with the others.

"Yes," Remus stated.

"Same," Silver answered then said, "I'll head to the docks and see who could give us a ride overseas."

"Okay. I'll find Lily and meet you at the docks. She texted me that she's here already. Want to come with me, Remus?"

"…No. I'll see what's on sale here and buy anything we need. Can I have the money Silver?" Remus asked with his hand out.

"No way. We are not going to have you get swindled and lose our-"

"I'm not going to lose our money and we need more supplies if we're heading to Atlas, so give me the money!" Remus declared strongly which surprised Silver and Zelts. He never showed anger about this before and it concerned his teammates.

"Alright, damn. Here's the Lien," Silver said before giving the envelope full of Lien to Remus.

The three of them entered the settlement and went their separate ways. Silver went straight for the docks. He was asking sailors, captions, and adventurers alike if they would give them a ride to Atlas. He found people who offered to give them a ride, but they were asking for a ridiculous amount of Lien for it. The closing of borders meant continental travel was forbidden and illegal transportation would be expensive. The sailors knew this so they jacked up their prices. If Silver agreed to any of them, then most of their Lien would be spent already in one go and they would have next to nothing later. Silver wasn't liking how things were going so he waited until Remus and Zelts came back with the money.

Remus was at the docks as well, but he went to the section where people were selling random merchandise. He searched for specific items they would need for Atlas and found a few things worth getting. Remus found winter attire and there was enough for everyone so they could wear it once they reach Atlas. The merchant selling the apparels wanted them for an unfairly high price, but Remus wasn't in the mood to play games with him. Remus pulled out Romulus shot out one blade then brought it up to the merchant's neck. He threatened the man's well being which was extremely out of character for him and it scared the merchant. The merchant offered the winter clothes for free, but Remus said he wasn't a thief. Instead, he paid the normal price for the clothes and left.

Zelts went to one of town's taverns because Lily said she was waiting for them in one of them. There were three of taverns in Treasure Trove Wharf, so he started at the closest one. It was until the second tavern that he met his girlfriend who he and the team asked to help them. Lily was sitting at a table with a drink in her hand and a smile on her face when her black eyes found Zelts. It was good to finally see her again and Zelts smiled back at her. Then his gaze turned to someone else in the bar, someone he didn't think he'd see here.

Silver was waiting for Remus and Zelts to return at the docks. The first one to return was Remus and he was carrying the winter clothes with him. Silver asked for the Lien to check how much money they had left. Remus handed him the envelope and Silver was surprised there was still a large amount of Lien in there, but he was still worried about having very little Lien after paying for a ship. He planned to explain the situation once everyone was here.

The duo was now waiting for Zelts and Lily to meet them and fifteen minutes passed before they showed up. Silver was ready to inform everyone about the boat fare, but that changed when he realized Zelts and Lily weren't alone. Someone was walking with them, someone he nor Remus expected to see here. Why was this person here and what did she want with them?

"Hey Lily. Hey Azura, I didn't know you were here," Remus said to the person in question.

"We may be related, but we really don't keep in touch. Likewise, I had no idea you'd be here either," Azura said to her fellow Cobalt.

"I ran into Azura when I met up with Lily," Zelts said, "I told her about our situation and she agreed to help us. How great is that?"

"Help us? "Really?" Silver questioned.

"Yeah, really," Azura said defensively with her arms folded.

"She's not with Grayson anymore, Silver," Zelts told Silver.

"Azura's good," Remus defended his relative. Azura was grateful Remus and Zelts were defending her.

"Azura seems to be trustworthy and a strong warrior," Lily included, "I think we should let her help."

"Hmm… three against one huh? Still, I'm not all that convinced. Why are you even helping us? Because Remus is family?" Silver asked, wanting to know the former enemy's true motives.

"That's part of it, but Violet and Remus saved my life and let me live, so I'm paying a debt by helping you guys find her," Azura answered.

"Works for me. Thanks for coming with us," Remus said to Azura with his hand out for her to shake.

"Uh-huh, great," she said as she shook his hand even if she did it halfheartedly.

"Fine, whatever. It still doesn't solve our boat problem. Everyone's asking for almost all our Lien just for a ride," Silver complained.

"You need a boat ride for free?" Azura asked then started walking to the docks. "I got you. Grayson knows a guy."

VRSZ and Lily followed Azura down the docks to see where she was going. The former Ravager walked to a ship that could hold all five of them. It was smaller compared to the other ships, but it would serve them just fine. Azura walked onto the bridge connecting the ship to the dock then opened a door leading to a room on the lower floor.

"Hey! Who are- What are you doing on my- GAH!" Azura appeared again while dragging a man by his neck. She tossed him onto the deck where everyone was so they could see. They could see the person she dragged out was a man with black hair that reached his chin, stubble around his chin, and a pair of gills on his neck, showing he was a faunus. The person Azura dragged out was one of Grayson's Secondary allies, Kelvin Murphy, a fish faunus whose occupation is underwater treasure hunting.

When Kelvin got a good look at the people around him, he reached for his harpoon gun, but he turned around to see Azura had it in her hands. The alarmed look on his disappeared once he got a good look at her.

"Oh, hey Azura. Didn't know it was you. Did Grayson need me for something again?" Kelvin asked, not grasping the situation.

"I'm not with that bastard anymore, but we do need you for a job," Azura told him.

"We need you to take us to Atlas," Remus told Kelvin.

"Uh, no," Kelvin responded, "That is a long ride and I don't want to. You can't pay me enough to sail to Atlas- Gah!" Azura grabbed Kelvin by the neck and slammed him against one of the ship's walls.

"You're going to take us to Atlas whether you like it or not. And you'll do it for free or else," Azura threatened.

"Or else what?" Kelvin asked.

The dust circlets infused around her wrists flared up and flames began to cover the arm she used to hold Kelvin. The flames on her arm didn't reach the fish faunus, but it was close enough that Kelvin felt his facial hair getting singed off. Everyone else watched on without saying a word because they didn't need to be kind in order to find Violet. They needed results and Azura was trying to get them.

"Or else I'll burn to a crisp and take your boat anyway. Your choice," Azura threatened. She let go of Kelvin though she kept her arm wrapped in fire.

After recovering, Kelvin said, "Man you're scary. Fine, I sail you to Atlas, but don't expect a warm welcome. Out of all the kingdoms, Atlas is pretty strict with closing its borders. Only high-level figures can go in and out of there."

"We'll manage," Silver said, "Just get us as close to Atlas as possible and we'll figure it out once we get there."

"Okay, when do you want to set sail?" Kelvin asked.

Remus, Silver, and Zelts already had their answer; "Now."

The three members of Team VRSZ, Lily, also known as Tigress, and Azura Cobalt were the five-person team that was going to embark on their journey to the Kingdom of Atlas. The team was trading the searing, humid sands of Vacuo for the bone-chilling, arctic tundra of Atlas. All for the sake of finding Violet Tulipe. A new adventure awaits Team VRSZ.

 **Final Chapter: Choosing Hope**

* * *

 **Grayson's Vitality doesn't heal his wounds, it just helps his body survive better than average people. His semblance can help with the healing process. For example, if he receives a cut and puts a bandage on the wound, Vitality would speed up the process so Grayson only has to wear it for a short period of time. His semblance is also speeding up treatment he's receiving for his wound and he'll recover shortly, unfortunately.**

 **After the end of Fortuna, Remus has been trying to contact Dr. Lupa to tell her what happened, but she hasn't been answering any of her calls. The reason for this will be explained in future stories.**

 **Even with the addition of Lily and Azura, the team is still called Team VRSZ. The two female warriors can be considered guest party members which is a big help to them considering Remus only has one eye and Zelts only has half of Heart of Gold. Also, the team no longer goes by Freelancers. They terminated their jobs after Fortuna's end.**

 **With only one half of Heart of Gold, Zelts can no longer create tornadoes. He can still swing the wingblade to make strong gales of wind. The shield form of his weapon covers much less now that it's half. It's still large in height, but without its full width it can't fully protect Zelts from large scale attacks. His attack and defense abilities are quite limited.**

 **Remus's Checkpoint is limited now that he lost his bionic eye and its scope ability which allowed him to teleport to much farther distance. Not to mention he has to cover his new blindside now that he lost half his vision.**


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N: The final chapter of Volume five is here. I just want to say it's an honor that the Team VRSZ series has been given so much love and this volume has been the most popular one yet. A thank you to all the readers out there, both long time and first timers. Special thanks to GraceKim1 & LinxBento as always for their extra support. On another note, LinxBento's RWBY fanfic is starting to look promising. Good luck to you and your Elementals.**

* * *

 **Chapter 50: Choosing Hope**

 **Setting: Atlas**

On the northeastern region on the continent of Solitas stood the kingdom of Atlas. The kingdom was far superior than anything that stood in Vacuo. It was a large city with advanced technology and the strongest military force of any kingdom, all thanks to the Schnee Dust Company's contribution, the hostile territory kept a large majority of the Grimm at bay, and the noble families that assisted in its growth. The metropolis kingdom was a site to behold, something Ebony Vantablack and Blood thought while they were in the kingdom.

The two of them were in the kingdom of Atlas where they were conducting business. The kingdom may have created the closing of borders policies and dust trade embargo to put the other kingdoms at ease, but they allowed several influential figures come and go within reason. It may be a betrayal of their closing border policy, but what the other kingdoms don't know won't hurt them.

 **Two Days After Fortuna's End**

Ebony and Blood were traversing along the outskirts of the kingdom with a shackled and restrained Violet Tulipe. Ebony was able to keep Violet in check with Atlesian technology. On her arms were high-tech handcuffs made specifically to subdue huntsmen or those who can use aura. They are able to disrupt the wearer's connection to their aura, preventing them from using it as well as their semblance to escape or retaliate. Ankle cuffs were on her ankles to prevent her from running away and duct tape on her mouth to keep her quiet. Violet's Cheshire Enigmas were in Ebony's possession. The charming Vantablack had the waist bag full of throwing knives around her waist along with her belt holding Trois Reines. Even the kukris knives were taken. All she had on her was a hooded winter coat to protect her from the elements as well did Ebony and Blood, due to the change from desert to tundra. Blood walked behind Violet just in case she did something suspicious and Ebony was in front, leading the pack to their destination.

Violet's head was down as she walked. The hood of the coat covered most of her head, but her purple hair peaked out on the right side of her face. The newly acquired cut beneath her right eye that reached near the base of her nose finally healed, forming a new scar. The first scar to decorate her face.

"When will we reach Underland Manor?" Blood asked Ebony in discomfort. He didn't enjoy the burning sand or harsh sunlight of Vacuo and the freezing temperature of Atlas was just as unpleasant.

"Actually, we're here," Ebony told them and they looked at the what lied before them. "Impressive," Ebony said.

The Underland Manor was located near Atlas's borders which was unusual for a noble family, but the Underland family has been known to make peculiar choices. The large mansion where the family resided was a prime example of their eccentricity. The mansion was extremely large, capable of housing several families, and it had no coordinated color scheme whatsoever. One side had yellow and red stripes while the paint next to it was green with pink circles decorating it. The entire mansion was a collection of different, mismatched colors that stood out greatly in the snowy landscape.

"Wow," Blood said.

"Indeed," Ebony said then turned to Violet. "So, this is your real home Violet or is it more appropriate to call you Alyssa.

Violet remained silent and looked at her old home with contempt. To her, that mansion was an ugly eyesore because her family could never decide on a color. Instead, they painted their own unique style to the mansion which may seem creative to onlookers, but reminded Violet that her family was always in conflict with one another. Such a thing was forbidden in Atlas. The expression of emotions and what not was prohibited to lower the risk of Grimm attacks. No one was above it, but the Underlands had been a supportive part of Atlas's creation and came to an agreement with the council that the house could stay as long as it remained on the outskirts of the kingdom, which is why it was located here.

The trio walked up to the front doors where the left was completely white and the other was completely red. Ebony pressed the doorbell and the chime echoed throughout the house. Clattering and glass breaking could be heard from inside the mansion until it all suddenly stopped. Blood was wondering what could be going on the other side and Ebony simply smiled as the door opened.

 **Present Day**

Ebony and Blood were in their airship where they made decided to stay. It's been several days since Fortuna's destruction and delivering Violet back to her family and Blood was visibly confused by what he saw in that mansion. The bat faunus finally understood why Violet never wanted to return home, it was a nut house that could drive any person insane. He regretted sending Violet there, but had no choice as per his agreement with Ebony to be her loyal retainer.

Blood was on the main deck of the airship where he sat to think about past events. He and Ebony were using the vehicle to serve as their base of operations while in Atlas. The charming Vantablack walked into the deck room and sat in her pilot seat with a smile on her face. She didn't tell Blood where she went exactly, just told him that she needed to talk to someone. With her Fortuna agenda finally over, he was curious about what she had planned next.

"We're heading to a summit, my Ash," Ebony answered, knowing exactly what was on Blood's mind.

"A summit, Lady Ebony?"

"Yes, it's time I meet the several other members of my family. There are a few of them stationed in Atlas and they want to discuss what I can do as fellow Vantablack. I'm finally going to get my place at the table. Isn't that great, Ash?"

"…Is that it for Violet?" Blood asked with concern and ignoring her question.

"For now, yes. Whatever happens to _Alyssa_ now is her business and hers alone. This will be a good way to see if she is the kind of person I thought she was," Ebony explained.

"And what kind of person is that?"

"The kind of person who won't let anything or anyone stand in her way. Someone with unrivaled willpower," Ebony answered with delight. "Come now, Ash. It's time to meet the family and I'd love for my retainer to escort me."

Blood rose from his seat and grabbed his winter jacket. He followed his new liege out of the airship and into the kingdom of Atlas. Ebony's place in the Vantablack family officially begins today.

 **Setting: Underland Manor**

In the colorful hallways of the colorful mansion, the sound of footsteps could be heard. Walking down the long hall was a rabbit faunus wearing a white butler's outfit with a black tailcoat. The faunus was in his late forties and wore a monocle on his left eye. He wore white gloves and black shoes. He had white scruffy hair and white, floppy, rabbit ears above his head. Each ear fell to his sides, reaching down to his shoulders and making his head seem smaller. In his right pocket was a chained pocket watch that he pulled out to check the time.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," the rabbit faunus said as he shook his head.

He walked to the door that he was trying to reach and knocked, saying, "Alyssa… Lady Alyssa, you're late! Come out of your bedroom this instant. Your father will not be pleased with your tardiness. Remember what he ordered the his guards to do when he saw that you dyed your hair?"

The door swung up in front of the faunus butler. Standing in front of him was Violet, but with one startling difference; her hair was gone. Violet's hair was shaved off, reduced to a buzz cut hairstyle. Her head was close to bald if not for the blonde stubble that remained on her scalp. Violet was no longer in her usual attire either. She wore a light blue, knitted, cardigan sweater that reached past her hips and a white buttoned shirt underneath. She wore light grey leggings, black tennis shoes, and a knitted purple scarf wrapped around her neck. This was the most domestic and harmless Violet has ever looked.

"Thank you, Galanthus," Violet responded with an annoyed tone, "I'll see myself to him."

Galanthus simply bowed before pulling out his pocket watch again. "Oh dear. I'm late for my next task," he said to himself before running down the hall.

Violet walked back into her room which didn't have anything in it besides a bed, a dresser, and a window displaying the house's courtyard and flower garden. The bedroom's floor walls were white. She wasn't surprised there was nothing here, after all, she burned down her room and most of this section of the mansion in her escape. No one was going to bother replacing everything she owned. Even her throwing knives were confiscated to prevent her from fighting guessed they were being held somewhere she couldn't reach. She contemplated her situation and realized she may be screwed. Violet rubbed her hand through her hair, forgetting that her hair was gone and all she touched was stubble.

When Ebony brought Violet back home, her father had Violet's rebellious hair shaved off before confining her to her room until he needed to see her. That was a few days ago and Violet was just mulling in anger and sadness. She doubted she'd be able to see any of her friends again now that she was a continent away. Ebony even visited today to bestow upon her gifts to help decorate her room. Ebony gave Violet her scroll, but with all her contacts wiped clean, one of Silver's old gun Ceasefire, though the gun was cut in two, completely unusable in any way, and Remus's bionic eye which made Violet question what Ebony has done to her boys, but the charming Vantablack just smiled before leaving. She didn't know if her boys were fine after what happened in Fortuna, or if they're even alive, but things look extremely bleak from her perspective. Violet picked up Remus's eye and put it in her sweater's pocket to keep at her side.

Violet was in a no-win situation with no way out. Her worst fear has come true; she's back home and her father was going to use her as a pawn in his political game. In the span of a week, she noticed there weren't as many Underlands living here like when she was a child, meaning the battle for the line of succession has taken many lives. It was one of the main reasons Violet left, and now she's back where she started, but just like last time, she wasn't going to be a pawn. The way things are now, Violet may not be able to leave her home, or Atlas a second time, but she be damned if she was going to be an obedient pawn in her father's game.

Walking down the hall to her father's throne room, Violet made a solemn vow; no matter what plans he had for her, she would defy him every step of the way. Her times and experience with Team VRSZ proved she could handle pretty much anything thrown her way. Violet vowed to fight. She vowed to ruin whatever plans her father had in store, and if anything, choose to hope, hope to live for herself in this crazy household and not kneel to anyone.

 **Setting: Virago**

Saffron was in her council building, doing her duty as Virago's monarch by sitting at her desk and reviewing new orders for those beneath her. She finished all work for the day except for one final task on her to-do list; a meeting. Saffron had a meeting with a long-time ally and friend do discuss matters about the future. There was a knock at her office door. Saffron knew who it was.

"Come in," she said.

The door opened with Clair de Lune Vantablack and Ghost on the other side. Clair took a seat in the chair on the other side of Saffron's desk and Ghost stood by her side in attention with a folder in his hand.

"I'm glad we can meet like this Saffron," Clair said with a friendly tone.

"We're friends, Clair. We can meet and hang out anytime," Saffron said then chuckled.

"True, but I'm here to discuss a little business. Afterwards we can spend time together," Clair said with a smile.

"Sure. Now, what do you want to talk about?"

"A new settlement in Vacuo."

"Already back at work I see. I guess you want to make something like Fortuna?"

"No. Fortuna is dead. What I want to make is something different. Something I think Vacuo needs."

Ghost walked up and gave Clair the folder and she gave it to Saffron. Virago's leader opened it and the first thing she saw was a sheet of paper with a title; The Nexus Project. She turned the paper over to see blueprints for a settlement. There were other papers after the blueprints and Saffron skimmed through them. She saw a few papers that were mostly written words and another with signatures. It was a curious thing Clair was working on.

"The Nexus Project," Saffron repeated.

"Yes. The settlements in Vacuo come and go like the shifting sands. None of them can last forever, Fortuna is a perfect example. Most people would have a difficult time starting over. I had a hard time starting over until I received Lien from several members of my family," Clair stated.

"Are you proposing something or are you bragging about your family's wealth," Saffron joked and Clair shook her head.

"Of course not. It was when my family came together to help me get back on my feet that it dawned on me. What if all the current settlements came together to make something great, something to stand the test of time and secure our safety in Vacuo," Clair explained.

Saffron put her hand to her chin. "Interesting," she said with intrigue. "You want to create a settlement that is an amalgam of all the allied settlements."

"Sort of. Nexus will be a settlement that will be the crossroad for all of Vacuo. It will be located somewhere of equal distance to everyone and will support everyone. I asked the leaders of other settlements to lend a hand in helping me build Nexus and have come to a fair agreement. Any neighboring towns that provide Nexus with ten percent of their resources a month will be given protection against threats and refugee should tragedy befall them as did Fortuna. We all come together and support each other."

"Hence the name Nexus," Saffron stated.

"It will be a cornerstone that helps with our survival. My newest project, and I want to know if you'll help me in this endeavor," Clair said while presenting Saffron with a pen.

Saffron smirked, wondering why Clair even had to ask. Virago was a place where women run the show and men are second-class citizens. Such a place isn't seen as favorable to many outside the village and fewer allies can be made with such a place, but Clair was one of the first to become her ally. Dust trading despite the embargo, sending aid whenever needed, being a true loyal friend, Clair de Lune Vantablack was the definition of ally.

Saffron signed her name to the paper with no hesitation. It put a smile on Clair's face to see Saffron was going to play a part in the Nexus Project.

"How long will it take for you to get started?" Saffron asked.

"It's already begun. Bianca is at the building site now, safeguarding it from any threats. Supplies and manpower have already come in from the allied settlements."

"That was fast. I hope there's still time for me to assist."

"Of course, any help is welcome. With everyone's interval of assistance, the Nexus Project will be complete in a manner of months. Two if we're lucky," Clair said proudly.

"The Nexus Project is truly impressive, but that's nothing compared to the creator. Nothing keeps you down, huh?" Saffron asked impressed with Clair's plan and her ambition.

"I can't be wallowing in sorrow forever. No more regretting the past. It's time to choose hope and believe in a brighter future.

 **Setting: Open Seas**

Kelvin Murphy sailed his ship through the open waters with his passengers doing whatever they needed to pass the time. Zelts was sitting on the deck near Kelvin with Heart of Gold in his lap, wondering if he'll still be efficient with protecting the others. Silver sitting on the quarterdeck, checking Fenrir to make sure both guns were functioning properly. Remus on the deck with Zelts, but was standing at the head, watching the sea in front of the boat with a serious look in his eye. Azura leaned against the boat next to him, feeling her cousin was the only person she felt comfortable being around. Lily was in the hull, doing her best not to throw up. Having only been to Vacuo and Vale, she has never been on a ship before and the swaying of the boat was very new to her.

They've been at sea for three days and continued straight for Atlas without any delays. Kelvin had rations of food that could sustain everyone for two weeks so all he had to worry about was sailing. The voyage to Atlas wasn't completely boring. Grimm swam in their direction several times and the five of warriors fought them off. It was the only real form of entertainment on the ship.

The temperature around the boat was beginning to change as they continued northward. The air was getting colder and small icebergs were decorating the ocean. They were definitely closer to Atlas, but the obstacles in their way didn't stop. Suddenly, everyone heard cannon fire and the ship took a hit on the side. The impact created a hole and water was filling the boat and it was going to sink.

"Oh, come on, man! What the hell!? Kelvin shouted in anger. He ran to where the damage was and cursed in anger.

Lily ran out of the hull and onto the deck with everyone. On their right, everyone could see a much larger ship coming to intercept them. On the ship was a crew of sketchy looking people that could only be called pirates. One person walked up and he was dressed like a pirate captain. The man started blathering on about how great he was and how great his pirate crew was, giving the others time to talk and make a decision. Lily walked over to an angry Kelvin to inform him of their next course of action.

"I'm sorry Kelvin, but your ship isn't going to make it. We plan to seize that ship for ourselves, but we don't know how to sail. Stay here until we're done dealing with these pirates," she told him in a soothing tone since he was still upset over his ship.

Before entering the battle, Lily, now Tigress, grabbed her partisan, Flying Eagle, and prepared to fight. Azura was wielding her elemental staff and activated the lightning dust in her arms, imbuing her weapon in electricity. Silver already had Fenrir in his hands and he was ecstatic at the notion of fighting pirates. Remus wasn't playing any games as he changed Romulus to dual swords and looked at which pirates he was going to take down. Zelts had Heart of Gold in his hand and he was ready to test his ability to fight with half his weapon. Twirling the wingblade, he created a force of wind beneath everyone's feet and launched them upward toward the ship full of unlucky pirates.

Remus acted first, using Checkpoint to teleport right in the center of the pirates. He slashed at several of them, breaking through their formation with ease. The next to attack was Azura, hitting and electrocuting pirates with each blow. Zelts landed on the ship and swung his wingblade around to create a small windstorm that lifted all the pirates into the air. It was Silver's turn and he used Gravity while he was in the air. He rode Zelts's wind and fired rounds of ice dust at the pirates to freeze them. He jumped off one pirate to reach the ship's crow's nest where he changed Fenrir to its sniper form and fired at any foe in his sight. Tigress was in the air as well and she activated Gemini to split her body into the black and orange Tigress Twins. The twins used coordinated attacks to strike foes still in midair with their spears, knocking them overboard. Kelvin swam to the ship, climbed the side, and walked to the deck so he could take control of the steering wheel.

The battle was over before it even began. The team defeated the pirates and placed them on Kelvin's old, sinking ship then set sail for Atlas once again. None of them were huntsman. They were under no obligation to save people who attacked them. They just kept pushing onward. With this larger, faster ship, Kelvin estimated they'll reach the northern continent at a much better time than before. It was good news for all of them, especially Team VRSZ.

Remus Cobalt, Silver Synch, and Zelts Allister were getting tired of waiting. They wanted to reach Atlas now to reach Violet. None of them had any concrete proof that she was there. They took this information from Platinum about Carabosse's original plan before her demise, so this was a massive guess. Whether Violet was alive or not was also up for debate, but that thought didn't crossed their minds, not even once. The three of them were choosing hope, hope that Violet Tulipe was somewhere waiting for them. The next chapter in their story awaits in Atlas.

The Color VRSZ Colours Chronicles; the tales of Team VRSZ as their time as Freelancers. It was much different than most tales and ended differently as story didn't end on a happy note, but a hopeful one.

 **Team VRSZ: Volume Five: Complete**

* * *

 **The title for this chapter is the same title for a song that greatly defines the ending song of the story; Choosing Hope: Final Fantasy XV OST. ****The outlook of the story was grim and bleak after the end of Fortuna and everyone is in a situation that has their backs against the wall, but none of them are giving in to despair. They choosing to keeping pressing forward for a better tomorrow. The lyrics of the song can work for Violet, the rest of Team VRSZ, and Clair.**

 **Galanthus is the genus name (and original name) of the snowdrop flower; a white flower that blooms very early in the spring and bloom in snow or cold climates. He is based off the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, showing through his faunus trait of white rabbit ears, pocket watch, and dislike of being late. Galanthus is nicknamed by some in the Underland family as Snowy to keep his name simple.**

 **The Underland family will be based off Alice in Wonderland. Violet herself is a combination of Alice(Alyssa) and the Cheshire Cat(Violet).**

 **The Underland family members all have a flower theme. All the characters are named after colorful flowers. Violet's mother was named Iris after the flower.** **Violet Tulipe is another example, but it's not her birth name. Alyssa is a name derived from the alyssum flower. It comes in several colors; white, yellow, pink, lavender, and dark shades of purple. Alyssums are also known as the Wonderland flower.** **Both the flower and her original name describe how different Violet is compared to her family. Alyssa means rational/logical in Greek and Alyssum in Greek means not insane.**

 **Violet will be the first person to receive dual theme songs for her main theme, but only one song will be presented for now. The first theme song for Violet is Castle (Winter's War Version) by Halsey. The lyrics can be interpreted as Violet's disgust and rebellion against at her family, their status, and her father. With the story being set in Atlas, I decided to go with the Winter's War version of the song. The song portrays Violet's feelings for her family and the overall theme of the next volume.**

 **Ebony Vantablack will be getting a theme song of her own; Troublemaker by Olly Murs. The lyrics of the song perfectly define how all her victims feel when they are under the influence of Charm. She is mischievous and hard to understand while also charming and alluring. **

**Each member of Team VRSZ gained a new theme this volume;**

 **Violet Tulipe: Castle (Winter's War Version): Halsey**

 **Remus Cobalt: Jet Set Run: My Hero Academia OST**

 **Silver Synch: Renegade (English Cover): TYERecords**

 **Zelts Allister: Knight of the Wind: Crush 40**


End file.
